Israel’s prime minister has ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, as its conflict with the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah escalates.

Benjamin Netanyahu said “terror targets” in the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahieh would be struck in response to its rocket and drone attacks on Israeli civilians.

Israel’s pledge to step up its strikes in Lebanon came hours after the US president Donald Trump had declared that “all shooting will stop” between Israel and Hezbollah. Trump made the announcement after Iran said it had pulled other of peace talks with the US, in protest at Israel’s offensive in Lebanon

The conflict poses a major obstacle to the US president’s efforts to reach a deal to end its war with Iran. Tehran is insisting that any ceasefire must include Lebanon.

The Israeli military ordered residents of Dahieh to evacuate for their own safety, without giving further details.

Families, crammed into cars stuffed with suitcases, blankets and whatever belongings they could carry, streamed out of Beirut’s suburbs, joining thousands fleeing towards the mountains as fears of further violence mounted.

Sophie Raworth presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Jon Sudworth, James Landale and Sarah Smith.

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A court is due to hear the full story of how former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell spent the £400,000 he embezzled from the party over a 12-year period.

Court documents show Murrell – the estranged husband of former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon – used the party’s money to buy more than 1,000 items.

Murrell, 61, faces a lengthy prison term when he returns to court for sentencing on 23 June.

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A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida on Thursday night.

The space technology company, which was founded in 2000 by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, said there were no injuries from the incident.

“All personnel have been accounted for. We will provide updates as we learn more,” Blue Origin said in a statement.

The explosion occurred during a “hotfire test”, the company said, describing the incident as an “anomaly”.

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The US has said it struck Iranian military sites over the weekend while Tehran said it responded by targeting an American base, marking the third known escalations in a week around the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command said it launched “self-defence strikes” in response to “aggressive Iranian actions”, which it said included a US drone being shot down over international waters.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had targeted an air base used by US forces for an attack on southern Iran.

Kuwait said its air defence system had confronted “hostile” missiles and drones – with its foreign ministry later condemning “heinous and repeated Iranian attacks”.

Meanwhile, Israel’s prime minister has ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, as the conflict with the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah continues to escalate.

A senior Lebanese government official told the BBC that it was relying on US mediation efforts to pressure Israel to end its own violations and prevent further civilian casualties.

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