Beyond the Headlines

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Dive deeper into the week’s biggest stories from the Middle East and around the world with The National’s multi-award-winning podcast, Beyond the Headlines — winner of two Signal Awards and the New York Festivals Radio and TV Awards. Nuances are often missed in day-to-day headlines. We go Beyond the Headlines by bringing together the voices of experts and those living the news to provide a clearer picture of the region’s shifting political and social landscape.

  1. 2 days ago

    What the US-Saudi strikes on Iran-affiliated militias in Iraq reveal about the wider war

    It has been five months since the US and Israel launched their war with Iran, and the conflict has never really been contained. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Jordan have all been hit by Iranian missiles and drones, Hezbollah drew Lebanon into a fight that is still going on, and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, with neither talks nor military action producing a lasting reopening. Right now, though, no front is moving faster than the one closing in on Saudi Arabia, and it is coming from two directions at once. In Yemen, a strike on Sanaa airport and Houthi accusations against Riyadh in July reignited a conflict that had been largely dormant, leading within days to attacks on Saudi shipping, a Saudi strike on Hodeidah port, and a Houthi claim to have hit oil facilities in Jizan and Yanbu, potentially the first direct strike on Saudi oil infrastructure since 2022. In Iraq, months of accusations that Iran-backed militias were launching drones from Iraqi soil culminated this week in Saudi Arabia joining the US in direct, public strikes for the first time, a move Riyadh justified as an exercise of its right to self-defence under the UN Charter. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher is joined by Douglas Silliman, former US Ambassador to Iraq and now President of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East Policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Elizabeth Dent, senior fellow at the Washington Institute, to look at how Saudi Arabia's escalation fits into the broader trajectory of the US-Iran war.

  2. 24 Jul

    Can Lebanon find a winning formula in peace talks with Israel?

    US President Donald Trump pledged his support for Lebanon this week during a visit to the White House by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. A four-decade ban on US airlines flying to the country will be overturned, Mr Trump said, who also told of concrete plans to support the Lebanese Armed Forces. This comes at a time when the government in Beirut is under pressure to prove it can deliver on an agreement it signed with Israel and the US in June. The trilateral framework states that Lebanese forces must disarm Hezbollah and reassert control in areas dominated by the group, before Israel “redeploys” its troops from areas it occupies in Lebanon. Critics say the deal imposes the heavier obligations on Lebanon. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people remain forcibly displaced from their homes in southern towns and villages, where Israeli attacks have caused mass destruction. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the opportunities and challenges the country faces as it tries to bridge the gap between dialogue and the reality on the ground. She speaks to Nada Homsi, The National’s correspondent in Lebanon, and Paul Salem, senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

  3. 17 Jul

    Why has the US-Iran agreement not been enough to end the war?

    The interim agreement aimed at ending the war between the US and Iran has fallen apart barely three weeks after it was signed. Iran has resumed attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, claiming it has control over the entire waterway and any vessels crossing it must co-ordinate with its forces. The US, seeing this as a breach of the ceasefire agreement signed on June 17, has responded by launching a series of strikes against Iranian military targets. Tehran has been firing drones and missiles towards Gulf neighbours as well as Jordan, saying it is aiming at US military assets in those countries. Now, retaliatory naval blockades have been reinstated. US President Donald Trump has said the strait is open for all except Iranian ships, but the UN’s maritime agency has issued a warning that the waterway is not safe. Meanwhile, seafarers continue to suffer in limbo, with some already killed or injured in Iranian attacks. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, guest host Ban Barkawi looks at the circumstances that led to the latest military escalation and asks whether there’s still a chance to come back to an agreement. She speaks to Gregory Brew, senior Iran and energy analyst at Eurasia Group.

  4. 10 Jul

    What’s at stake for foreign powers battling for influence in Syria?

    On the sidelines of an eventful Nato summit in Ankara, US President Donald Trump was sitting next to his Syrian counterpart Ahmad Al Shara when he announced his intention to lift Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism. The move would bring massive relief for the country as it attempts to rebuild in a post-Assad era. But Mr Al Shara’s presence at the summit also reflects Syria’s increasingly important security role in the region. With Iran’s weakened influence, other powers are seeking to capitalise on the void in Syria and across the border in Lebanon. Mr Trump suggested last month that Damascus could handle Hezbollah, with which Israel has been at war. Meanwhile, Nato host Turkey, which sees Israel as a threat, has been strengthening its relationship with the new Syrian government. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher unpacks the battle between foreign powers to hold sway over Syria and examines how Mr Al Shara will handle it. We hear from The National’s Turkey correspondent Lizzie Porter and Noah Bonsey, senior adviser on Syria at the International Crisis Group.

  5. 3 Jul

    Why are ceasefires not ceasing the fire?

    The Middle East has been grappling with one conflict after another, leading to countless rounds of negotiations to end fighting. But even when ceasefires are agreed to, the violence seems to continue, prompting many to question what a ceasefire even means. The US signed two agreements in the span of about 10 days, the first being an understanding with Iran to end the war and the other a trilateral framework with Israel and Lebanon to stop the fighting involving Hezbollah. In the weeks before these agreements, there had already been temporary ceasefires on both fronts. Still, parts of Lebanon remained under Israeli fire, and Iran attacked Arabian Gulf countries again over disputed shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile in Gaza, despite a ceasefire being in place since October, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,000 people and the military has taken control of almost 70 per cent of the strip. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the discrepancy between the words on paper and the continued violence on the ground. She speaks to Daniel Levy, president of the US Middle East Project, and Jinan Bastaki, associate professor of legal studies at New York University Abu Dhabi.

  6. 26 Jun

    What's driving Iraq’s anti-corruption crackdown?

    Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has conducted a bold anti-corruption campaign since taking office in May. One of his first moves was to arrest the deputy oil minister for alleged embezzlement, and to seize millions of dollars in cash as part of the investigation. Iraq’s political institutions have been plagued by allegations of bribery and kickbacks, with oil sector contracts often the targets of corruption investigations. The country has reportedly lost billions of dollars to embezzlement since the American invasion of 2003. The new government has responded to increasing US pressure to tackle corruption. The other demand is to disarm militant groups. Mr Al Zaidi has prioritised both, but will also have to balance his relationship with Iran, Iraq’s other key ally. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses the significance of Mr Al Zaidi's actions and the challenges he faces. We hear from Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, and Sinan Mahmoud, The National’s Iraq correspondent.

  7. 19 Jun

    The wins and losses of the Iran war

    The US and Iran have signed their framework agreement to end the war. It comes after more than 100 days of fighting, economic and political warfare, and a death toll in the thousands. The two countries will now have only 60 days to negotiate a final peace agreement. During that time, they will each have to consider what they have gained and what they have lost as a result of this conflict. For the US, the glaring question is whether or not this was all worth it for a nuclear agreement that does not appear to have progressed since before the war. For Iran, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Gulf states could affect its relations with its neighbours in the future. Meanwhile, Israel – which is not a party to the framework agreement – will have to balance the costs of insisting on weapons over diplomacy, and how the conflict has tested its relationship with the US. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines the wins and losses each side has endured and asks what comes next after the agreement takes effect. She speaks to Eric Brewer, deputy vice president of the Nuclear Materials Security Program, and Danny Citrinowitz, senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies think tank.

  8. 12 Jun

    Are the US and Israel still fighting the same war?

    More than 100 days since the US and Israel launched co-ordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, the war that was supposed to eliminate its threat and reshape the region is at a crossroads. Iran's military is still firing. Its proxies are still active. Hezbollah continues to engage Israeli forces on the ground in southern Lebanon. The Houthis have re-entered the equation, threatening to blockade the Red Sea. And the Iranian regime, in a new form, is intact. This week, US President Donald Trump made his position clear in an interview with the Financial Times. He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept a deal with Iran. And then, in a striking public statement, said he calls the shots. Not Netanyahu. So is this a genuine rift between the two allies, or just the latest rough patch in a relationship that has long been complicated? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to two people who have spent decades at the centre of the US-Israel relationship: Tom Nides, US ambassador to Israel under former president Joe Biden, and Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009.

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Dive deeper into the week’s biggest stories from the Middle East and around the world with The National’s multi-award-winning podcast, Beyond the Headlines — winner of two Signal Awards and the New York Festivals Radio and TV Awards. Nuances are often missed in day-to-day headlines. We go Beyond the Headlines by bringing together the voices of experts and those living the news to provide a clearer picture of the region’s shifting political and social landscape.

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