Category: Middle East

How American diplomacy can stabilize Lebanon—and the Middle East

The events of the past two weeks have witnessed an unprecedented degradation of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance. These developments present the Biden administration with more complex policy choices, but also some strategic opportunities. The reason why is because Israel is back at a point where it is not only deterring Iran, but dismantling key

What is Iran thinking now?

GET UP TO SPEED There’s a message in the missiles. Iran’s 180-missile barrage against Israel on Tuesday was largely ineffectual (though it did reportedly kill a Palestinian man in the West Bank) due to Israeli air defenses and US assistance. The assault was Tehran’s response to the assassination of top Hezbollah figures, including the group’s

Iran has a strategy for Israel. Now Israel needs one for Iran.

Since Hamas’s horrific October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, Iran has supported the group by orchestrating attacks on the Jewish state from Iran’s other Resistance Axis allies—Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shia militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. The attacks against Israel during the past year represent the latest stage in Iran’s long-running war of

The Israeli offensive and Iranian missile attack test two visions for the Middle East’s future

The coming months will determine whether Israel’s stunning offensive against Hezbollah over the past month, which has now triggered an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Israel, perpetuates and escalates the relentless cycle of Middle East violence or marks a positive tipping point against Iranian-backed aggression. Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah—made possible by rock-solid

Hezbollah c’est moi: The Party of God without Hassan Nasrallah

On September 27, the unimaginable happened. At approximately 5:22 p.m. local time, reports emerged of a massive Israeli strike on the predominantly Shia southern suburbs of Beirut, known colloquially as Dahiyeh. Six buildings had been flattened, throwing up pillars of thick reddish smoke against Beirut’s skyline, and an anchor with Hezbollah’s Al-Manar later said the

Four questions (and expert answers) about Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon

Early on Tuesday, Israel announced that it was launching a “limited” ground incursion into Lebanon. This follows Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, including in Beirut, where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed on Friday. Nearly a year into the conflict that began with the Hamas terror attack of October 7, 2023, Israel has revised its

Member states can and should refer the situation of Syria to the ICC

On May 20, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) made waves in boldly requesting the issuance of arrest warrants for Israel’s prime minister and defense minister as well as three Hamas leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza. The decisive action confirms the ICC’s crucial role in