Beyond the Headlines

Iraq is in a race against time to choose a prime minister but, even after weeks of deadlock, the Co-ordination Framework – a coalition of major Iraqi Shiite parties – is still deliberating. The country is stuck in a tug-of-war of foreign influence between Washington and Tehran, as both seek to strengthen their hold over Iraqi politics and security. Now, Iraq's politicians are carefully trying to calculate which candidate would appease both sides. The Iran war has added another burden to Iraq, which became the only country to be attacked by Tehran-backed militias and American warplanes. Meanwhile, the US and Iran are cranking up the pressure on Baghdad to choose a leader who serves both their interests. Last week, Quds Force commander Brig Gen Esmail Qaani visited Iraq, while the US reportedly withheld shipments of oil revenue dollars. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Hayder Al Shakeri, a research fellow with the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, London. They discuss Iraq’s delicate balancing act in the face of foreign interference, and options the country has to avoid being caught up in further conflict.

Hussein Al Zweidi’s two-year detention in Israeli prisons were some of the hardest days of his life. He described a practice of physical and sexual abuse against prisoners, as well as poor conditions and ill-treatment. Even after his release, he suffers from deep emotional scars and severe fatigue, he said. Now, he fears that an Israeli law will deal a bigger blow to the detainees he left behind. The Knesset passed a bill at the end of March that mandates the death penalty exclusively for Palestinians convicted of terrorism in military courts. About 10,000 detainees are in Israeli prisons, many under "administrative detention", without charge or trial. This includes children. Since 1967, an estimated one million Palestinians have been incarcerated by Israel, according to human rights groups. It’s for this reason that April 17 marks Palestinian Prisoners' Day, an annual event to raise awareness about an issue that sits at the heart of the Palestinian cause and the struggle of living under occupation. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines the death penalty law and what it could mean for thousands in Israeli jails. We hear from former detainee Hussein Al Zweidi, Miriam Azem, international advocacy co-ordinator at Adalah Legal Centre for Arab Minority Rights, and Knesset member Ofer Cassif, from the opposition party Hadash.

US-brokered negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began this week in Washington. This comes after at least 1,500 Lebanese have been killed in Israeli strikes since March and more than one million remain displaced. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has continued to launch attacks towards Israel since it entered the Iran war weeks ago. The meeting is the first time the two governments have engaged in high-level talks since 1993 and is expected to set the agenda for future discussions. Lebanese officials want an end to the Israeli strikes and financial support for reconstruction. Israel wants Hezbollah disarmed but this has already proven a near-impossible task for Lebanon’s government. The question is, what leverage does the country have in the face of constant Israeli bombardment, crushing humanitarian and economic burdens, and a Hezbollah that still clings on to power? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Mohamad Ali Harisi, foreign editor of The National, hosts a live discussion on the truce talks and the human toll. He is joined by Lebanon correspondents Nada Maucourant Atallah and Nada Homsi, and Europe correspondent Sunniva Rose. He also speaks to Paul Salem, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.

US President Donald Trump went from warning about the demise of a “whole civilisation” to announcing a “big day for world peace” in a matter of hours. It was not the first time he has used his Truth Social platform to make alarming statements during the course of the Iran war. He has used expletives and threats, often through conflicting messages over whether the conflict is escalating or winding down. Provocative language and dramatic effect have played a big role in the media battle, even as a fragile two-week ceasefire comes into effect. But it is not only words. The White House has shared Hollywood-style trailers promoting US military operations. Not to be outdone, official Iranian social media accounts and officials have also relentlessly been sharing wartime propaganda of their own, including AI-generated Lego videos and cartoon memes mocking Mr Trump and other US officials. These have gone viral, as have fake images and news of the war. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines the high-tech propaganda and disinformation campaigns that have been conducted over the past six weeks – and explains how dangerously effective they have been.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned on Thursday that Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz could lead down a “slippery slope” of imposing tolls and taxes over international waters, which she described as a “very dangerous development”. In an interview with The National, she pushed back against US President Donald Trump's suggestion of a “joint venture” with Iran to handle transit at the strategic strait and said the blockade had become “everybody's problem”. Iran and the US agreed on Wednesday to a two-week ceasefire after 40 days of war. Negotiations are set to begin in Pakistan this weekend to reach a comprehensive deal. However, Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon, which Ms Kallas said should be included in the truce. In this bonus episode of Beyond the Headlines, The National's foreign editor Ali Harisi sits down with Ms Kallas to discuss the prospects of the US-Iran ceasefire and the role the EU could play in diplomacy

In his address to the nation on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said the war with Iran was nearing its end and the US had decimated the country’s military capabilities. But parts of his speech contradicted some of his earlier statements regarding the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and America’s interest in seizing Iranian oil. His words also stood in contrast to recent reports suggesting that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations. At the same time, US officials are saying talks with Tehran are going well, which Iran denies. Meanwhile, mediators including Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey are pushing for a return to negotiations. The question is whether the warring parties would be willing to make concessions at this stage of the conflict. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the different scenarios the US could consider next and whether a diplomatic solution is still within reach. We hear from James Jeffrey, distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute and a former US deputy national security adviser, and Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute.

It has been a month since Israel, along with the US, launched strikes on Iran, leading the Middle East into yet another conflict it tried to avoid. Iran has responded by firing waves of missiles and drones, mostly towards its Gulf neighbours but also at Israel, where attacks have become increasingly disruptive. While the American public are largely divided over the war, in Israel, surveys showed the majority were in favour, at least in the beginning. But weeks later, the cost is mounting. Some of the attacks have caused damage, injuries and deaths. People’s daily routines and livelihoods have been affected. Meanwhile, Lebanon has once again been drawn into conflict. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the effects of the war on Israeli society and the state, and asks whether public support is starting to wane. She speaks to The National’s Jerusalem correspondent Thomas Helm, Tel Aviv-based political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin and Danny Citrinowicz, senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies.

About one million people have been forcibly displaced in Lebanon and almost a thousand killed in Israel’s renewed war with Hezbollah. The Iran-backed group fired missiles at Israel in early March, joining Tehran's retaliatory attacks in the war with the US and Israel that began on February 28. Israel’s response was immediate and aggressive, extending beyond Lebanon’s southern towns and striking central Beirut. The army is pushing deeper into the country, with plans for a ground invasion that could deal a more devastating blow than the 2024 war. Lebanon has never had good options. The US-brokered ceasefire that ended the 2024 war was violated by Israel thousands of times. The Lebanese government’s promise to disarm Hezbollah has not materialised. And the country’s south could now be on the verge of occupation. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher examines Israel’s ambitions in Lebanon and asks what it would take to prevent a full-scale invasion. She speaks to Joseph Bahout, director of the Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, and Lebanese journalist and political commentator Khalil Harb.

US President Donald Trump said the American-Israeli war on Iran could end soon, without specifying an end date. But almost two weeks in, military operations only seem to be intensifying. The US claims to have struck 5,000 targets in Iran, hitting its navy and air force, and diminishing its missile and drone capabilities. Attacks on civilian areas and oil facilities have also been reported. Iran continues to retaliate by targeting mostly neighbouring Gulf countries, drawing the entire region into the conflict. Meanwhile, Israel has re-engaged in war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. The economic and political cost of war is mounting on all sides and could determine how the battle unfolds in the coming days, weeks, or even longer. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, guest host Ban Barkawi speaks to analysts about the military dynamics of this conflict, and the worrying parallels it shares with the Iraq war of 2003. We hear from Francesco Schiavi, Middle East analyst and non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute Switzerland, and Adam Weinstein, deputy director of the Middle East programme at the Quincy Institute.

Conflicting reports have circulated in recent days about Iranian Kurdish groups possibly being armed by the US to launch a ground offensive in Iran. Many of these factions have long been exiled to the Kurdistan region of Iraq near Iran's north-western border and have felt oppressed by the regime. The US-Israeli war has already killed many of Tehran’s top political and military leaders, presenting the opposition Kurdish groups with a window of opportunity, if they do decide to take action. But the question is, would Washington back them and with what guarantees? Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington’s objectives are not centred on arming any particular group. But President Donald Trump said a Kurdish ground offensive would be “wonderful” without confirming whether or not the US would support it. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, guest host Ban Barkawi looks at the possibility and risks of Iranian Kurds entering the conflict. We hear from The National’s correspondent Lizzie Porter and HA Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies.

Israel has begun a wave of strikes on Lebanon after warning residents in the south of the country to flee north of the Litani River on Wednesday. The forced displacement order impacts about 250,000 people in 150 villages. That’s almost 5 per cent of the country’s population. It marks a dangerous escalation as the US-Israeli war on Iran opens new fronts in the region. It comes after Hezbollah fired rockets towards Tel Aviv and Haifa, prompting a heavy-handed response against areas of Beirut and towns in the south. More than 70 people have been killed so far and hundreds have been injured. In today’s update report on Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the war’s expansion in Lebanon, as well as the risks of other parties being dragged into the conflict.

Almost 2,000 targets in Iran have been hit by the US in the first four days of the war. US Central Command says it has severely degraded the country's air defences and destroyed hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers and drones. People in Iran, where the death toll is nearing 800, and across the Middle East are anxiously waiting for a resolution to the conflict. But US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the war must now take its course, without clarifying what the end goal is. Is America’s war about the nuclear issue, the proxy project or even regime change? Some US politicians have expressed confusion over what the Trump administration’s justification is for launching this conflict alongside Israel. In this update report for Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the US objectives in Iran and discusses the latest developments across the region.

As the war on Iran enters its fourth day, Tehran’s retaliatory attacks on US assets in Arab countries ramp up, testing the limits of their patience. Recent remarks from US officials suggest a limited timeframe for the war that could last a few weeks. The question is how much appetite and military might do the warring parties have? At the same time, US President Donald Trump warned that people will soon find out how America will retaliate for an attack on the US embassy in Riyadh on Monday night, and the deaths of US military personnel. GCC countries continue to issue stern condemnations and warnings for Iranian attacks on their territories. This all comes as Tehran came under another wave of heavy US-Israeli air strikes overnight. In this special episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher rounds up the most recent developments in the conflict. She covers the latest statements from US officials about extent of the war, Hezbollah’s involvement and the impact on humanitarian aid in Gaza.

It has been a matter of days since the US and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, and already the impact has rippled across the Middle East. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of top officials have been killed. So, too, have hundreds of Iranians. Tehran’s retaliation against Israel has caused casualties and serious damage to property. And missile and drone attacks on Iran’s Gulf neighbours have extended beyond US bases, also hitting airports and civilian structures, leading to injuries and deaths. US President Donald Trump has vowed to continue with Operation Epic Fury until all Washington’s objectives are met. Meanwhile, the region remains on edge as it braces for more exchange of fire. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the increasingly shrinking options Iran now has, after testing its Gulf allies beyond their limits, and asks what comes next for Tehran’s regime. She speaks to Hamidreza Azizi, an Iran expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, and Hasan Al Hasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

The notorious Al Hol camp in north-east Syria finally closed its doors this week. Thousands of alleged ISIS members and their families had been held there for years in inhumane conditions and without charge or trial. Human rights groups had long advocated for the camp to be closed but the events that unfolded before it was emptied were described as chaotic. The disorganised handover of the camp from the Syrian Democratic Forces to government authorities created a power vacuum that allowed for thousands of residents to escape. Those remaining were moved to a new camp in Aleppo with better conditions. Some of them are children who have never known a life outside Al Hol. The hope is they will eventually be reintegrated into society. But there is a fear that those with hardline ideologies could be recruited by ISIS, which just declared war against President Ahmad Al Shara and his government. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher asks, 'what happens next after the closure of Al Hol and can an ISIS resurgence in Syria be contained?' We hear from The National’s correspondent Nada Maucourant Atallah and Alexander McKeever, an independent researcher based in Damascus.

The US and Iran are facing off in a battle for concessions once more, as they resume nuclear talks against the backdrop of military threats. Officials said good progress was made at the latest round of negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday but added that a lot of work lies ahead. Only a day later, the White House warned Tehran it would be “wise” to make a deal. The US has boosted its military deployment in the Middle East, signalling its readiness to attack at a moment's notice. Iran’s nuclear programme was set back by US strikes on its atomic infrastructure last year. Tehran is determined to preserve its enrichment capability, while Washington wants to see it dismantled. But there are signs that talks and heightened tension are no longer about the nuclear programme alone, and that President Donald Trump may be pursuing more seismic changes, including regime change in Iran. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran programme at the Middle East Institute, and asks him how the latest US-Iran showdown could play out.

Israel’s recent change of land-buying policies in the occupied West Bank has been condemned by the international community and the UN. The measures have been designed to make it easier for settlers to acquire Palestinian land in areas that until now had been under the Palestinian Authority’s administration. Critics have described the move as de facto annexation of the territory that would crush any prospect of Palestinian statehood. In a joint statement, Arab and Islamic countries condemned the measures, calling them illegal actions. But this is not the first time. Last July, the same countries rebuked an annexation motion by the Knesset. An Israeli takeover of the occupied West Bank has long been considered a red line in the region and beyond, as it would deal a final blow to the two-state solution. And yet, since the war in Gaza, Israel has accelerated its land-grab practices there, pushing forward with settlement expansion. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the chain of events that brought the West Bank to this tipping point and asks: is there enough international will and pressure to push back against Israel’s latest decision?

The rules-based international order is the system of principles, laws and institutions put in place since the end of the Second World War to protect human rights and prevent conflict. But this status quo has been challenged by the past two years of wars and serious breaches of international law. Bodies such as the UN are also facing an uphill battle. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that it is at risk of financial collapse by July after its primary contributor, the US, slashed payments to its agencies and refused to pay its debts. At the same time violent conflicts, many of them in the Middle East, have led to alarming levels of death and destruction among civilians, often with complete impunity for perpetrators. If the mechanisms built to protect humanity are proving ineffective, what is the alternative? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the circumstances that have brought the rules-based order to the brink and the reforms needed to restore it. She speaks to Saul Takahashi, visiting professor of legal studies at NYU Abu Dhabi, and to Stuart Casey-Maslen, the lead author of a new report examining International Humanitarian Law violations.

Jared Kushner’s vision for Gaza may have been presented in a vibrant-coloured map and renderings of futuristic, high-rise towers, but Palestinians in the strip say they are sceptical. Residents likened it to a property advert rather than a plan to rehabilitate what they have lost in the war. They told The National they fear they could be pushed out of the enclave while construction takes place, and cities in the north where they once lived in would disappear. Mr Kushner's presentation during the World Economic Forum in Davos stood in contrast to the reality on the ground where 60 million tonnes of rubble cover the strip and people live in tents. Israel has continued attacking Gaza since the ceasefire began in October, and restricts the entry of aid and construction equipment. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, guest host Ban Barkawi speaks to analysts Hamze Attar and Raja Khalidi about what this blueprint of a “new Gaza” could mean for a population who feel they have been stripped of their agency.

After days of fighting, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and government troops under President Ahmad Al Shara agreed to a fragile ceasefire. But in that short time – and with each side still accusing the other of attacks – the landscape has already changed. Areas that were under SDF control, mostly in the north-east, are now in possession of the government. The Kurdish-led group was previously backed by the US in the fight against ISIS during the Syrian civil war, but that support had been fading as Washington gravitated closer to Mr Al Shara, even before the latest developments. Now many questions remain about what happens to resources in north-eastern Syria, how the new power dynamics will shape regional geopolitics, and what happens to ISIS members who had been detained in SDF facilities. Host Nada AlTaher speaks to The National’s deputy foreign editor Aveen Karim to break down what led to the clashes and what comes next.