Newshour

The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, says Israel's military action in the south of his country is a prelude to a full-scale ground invasion. Israel has started blowing up bridges over a crucial river in southern Lebanon, saying it is targeting infrastructure used by Hezbollah. Could Israel be about to take the next step in the Middle Eastern conflict?
Also in the programme: French voters have gone to the polls - will they tack to the centre ground or lurch to the far-left and far-right? And a British version of the celebrated US TV show Saturday Night Live has made its debut - did it translate well across the Atlantic?
(Photo shows smoke rising after an Israeli strike on a bridge near Qasmiyeh, Lebanon on 22 March 2026. Credit: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

More than 160 people have been injured - some seriously - in Iranian missile strikes on two southern Israeli towns close to a nuclear facility, according to Israeli emergency officials. We hear about the medical situation on the ground and take a look at Israel's nuclear capabilities.
Also on the programme: Italian voters give their verdict on a government plan to have more power over the judiciary; and a US comedy institution makes its UK debut as Saturday Night Live hits British screens.
(Picture: Ultra Orthodox Jewish residents look on at the scene of a direct hit of an Iranian missile in Arad, Israel. Credit: Abir Sultan/EPA/Shutterstock)

Britain has insisted it will not be drawn into a wider conflict after a key military base in the Indian Ocean was targeted by an Iranian missile attack. Also on the programme: Robert Mueller, who led the investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 US presidential election won by Donald Trump, has died; and the K-Pop phenomenon, BTS, has played a massive comeback concert in Seoul. 
(Photo: A United States Air Force Rockwell B-1 Lancer Bomber arrives at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.Saturday March 7, 2026. Ben Birchall/PA Wire)

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has said the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility in Iran has suffered “some recent damage” as US-Israeli attacks on the country continue. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed the damage was confined to entrance buildings to the underground fuel enrichment plant.
Also on the programme: a weight loss drug is now off patent in India meaning prices are expected to drop sharply; and the Australian teens grappling with the country's social media ban.
(Photo: Satellite imagery taken in January 2026 showing a new roof over a previously destroyed building at Natanz nuclear site, Iran. Credit: Planet Labs PBC/via Reuters)

US President says Nato allies are "cowards" for refusing to help open the Strait of Hormuz, as the head of the International Energy Agency claims the closure of the waterway poses the "greatest global energy security challenge in history”.
Also in the programme: Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat on celebrating the ancient Persian festival of Nowruz; and the action movie star, and martial arts expert Chuck Norris has died aged 86.
(Photo: US President Trump departs the White House to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago on 20 March 2026. Credit: Shawn Thew/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)