BBC - News Briefing * 2 October 2024 - what Israel could do after its political and military leaders vowed to make Iran "pay" for its missile attack on Tuesday night. Fighting is continuing, meanwhile, in Lebanon and Gaza. We also report on Mexico, where Claudia Sheinbaum became the country's first female president.

 

2 October, 2024   Jules Darmanin Hello. Today we look at what Israel could do after its political and military leaders vowed to make Iran "pay" for its missile attack on Tuesday night. Fighting is continuing, meanwhile, in Lebanon and Gaza. We also report on Mexico, where Claudia Sheinbaum became the country's first female president. Finally, I have stories on fruit flies, and moths.    GET UP TO SPEED US President Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris are heading to areas ravaged by storm Helene, which has killed at least 175 people. Our live page looks at the devastating impact. The case of two black women who were allegedly shot and fed to pigs by a white farmer and two of his workers has caused outrage in South Africa. Two women in Dublin have been charged with money laundering and possession of gold bullion worth €1.4m (£1.2m, $1.55m). Take a look.   QUESTIONS ANSWERED What could come next between Israel and Iran Most of the Iranian ballistic missiles were intercepted, according to the Israeli military. Credit: Reuters The head of the Israeli military, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi, stressed on Wednesday that his forces had "the ability to reach and attack any point in the Middle East". His comments come shortly after the Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed Iran would "pay" for firing 180 missiles at the country. Frank Gardner, security correspondent What can we expect from Israel? Given Israel’s determination to take on all its enemies at once - in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and Syria - the Netanyahu government seems to be in no mood to hold back. Israeli planners will likely now be debating not if and when to hit Iran, but how hard. What could be their targets? They can broadly be divided into three categories: Conventional military, with an early and obvious target being the bases from which Iran launched its ballistic missiles. Israel could even try to assassinate key individuals involved in Iran’s ballistic missile programme. Economic, such as petrochemical plants and other energy infrastructure - but these would end up hurting ordinary people’s lives far more. And finally nuclear, the big one for Israel. Among other allies, it suspects Iran of trying to reach "breakout point" where it is within a very short timescale of being able to build a nuclear bomb. How might Iran respond then? Iran cannot defeat Israel militarily. Its air force is old and decrepit, its air defences are porous and it has had to contend with years of Western sanctions. But it still has an enormous quantity of ballistic and other missiles as well as explosive-laden drones and numerous allied proxy militias around the Middle East. Its Navy could also attempt to sow mines in the Strait of Hormuz, interrupting the flow of up to 20% of the world’s daily oil exports. Follow live The latest: US President Joe Biden has told reporters he does not support the idea of striking Iran's nuclear sites. Our live page has more updates.   Lebanon: Israeli forces have confirmed for the first time they were involved in direct fighting with Hezbollah in the south of the country, where eight Israeli soldiers have been killed. Here's more from Nick Beake, in northern Israel.   In southern Gaza: Israeli air strikes and a ground operation targeting the Khan Younis area have killed at least 51 people, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.   AT THE SCENE | Mexico City, Mexico First female president vows 'it's time for women' Claudia Sheinbaum is the first woman to wear Mexico's presidential sash. Credit: Reuters On Tuesday, Claudia Sheinbaum became Mexico's first female president in 200 years of the country's modern history. A mentee of her predecessor Andrés Manuel López Obrador, she is expected to build upon his welfare-oriented policies. She will also face a drug war spiralling out of control. Will Grant, Mexico correspondent To huge cheers of “Presidenta!” ringing out both inside and outside Mexico's congressional chamber, Claudia Sheinbaum raised her fist in victory, savouring the moment. She began her first speech as president by thanking her political mentor and predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, He leaves office, she said, with “the greatest love of his people". On that point, she is not wrong. López Obrador is deeply beloved by his supporters and his popularity ratings in his final days in office were higher than those of any other president in Mexican history. ‌ As she set out her agenda as president, it was again clear that López Obrador's vision for Mexico had provided a broad blueprint. She urged people to assess what had been achieved over the past six years. “How were 9.5 million Mexicans pulled from poverty?” she asked. “How was unemployment reduced? Greater well-being created? The minimum wage repeatedly increased, but not inflation?” Naturally, her detractors will contest the rosy image of the Mexican economy she painted. Keep reading More from Will: Sheinbaum's victory back in June was rarely in doubt - even if she had provided little policy detail beyond political continuity. US election: Mexico's northern neighbour is also about to change its president, with migration and drug trafficking at the forefront of the issues between the two countries. Luis Fajardo looks at how Mexican media has been reporting on the race for the White House. THE BIG PICTURE How fly brains can shed light on human thought A fly's brain has more than 130,000 wires with 50 million intricate connections. Credit: MRC/Nature For the first time in history, scientists have produced a detailed analysis of the brain of a fruit fly, down to every single one of its 130,000 cells. Our brains contain a million time more cells, but this study of how flies think about movement and vision can help us understand how they work. Find out how   FOR YOUR DOWNTIME US election movies From Primary Colors to Wag the Dog - 11 of the best presidential election films. See the list And finally... in Wales A new species of moth has been found after travelling thousands of miles in a photographer's boot bag. Two clearwing moths seem to have hitched a 4,500-mile ride from a jungle in Guyana, South America, to Port Talbot, where an ecologist spotted them on a windowsill. Tests showed they were of a kind unknown to science.   World of Business Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday from New York. Subscribe here MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS Football Extra: Get all the latest news, insights and gossip from the Premier League, weekdays to your inbox. Subscribe. The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Subscribe. In History: The past comes to life through the BBC's unique audio, video and written archive, each Thursday. Subscribe.   Thanks, as ever, for reading. Send us what you think of this newsletter. We read everything, even when we don’t have the time to reply. And feel free to send it to your friends and family, who can subscribe by clicking this link. Also, you can add newsbriefing@email.bbc.com to your contacts list and, if you're on Gmail, pop the email into your “Primary” tab for uninterrupted service. Thanks for reading!  ‌ – Jules