Beyond the Headlines

An escalation of attacks on Saudi Arabia by the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and the group’s seizure of Yemen’s western coast, comes at a critical time in the region. The rapid advance in a matter of days has given the group unprecedented access to the Bab Al Mandeb strait, a global maritime chokepoint, while displacing at least 125,000 civilians. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, another critical route for international energy supplies, remains effectively closed because of the war between the US and Iran. The violence in the two waterways has disrupted the flow of oil, goods and aid. The fighting only intensified over the past week as the Iran-backed group attacked Saudi targets, including the holy city of Makkah, while the East-West pipeline was struck from Iraq. In Yemen, pro-government forces have suffered major losses. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks into how the Houthis' capacity to fight has grown enough for them to make such sweeping gains so quickly and whether the confrontation will escalate further before it dies down. She speaks to Baraa Shiban, political analyst on Yemen at the Royal United Services Institute, and to Gulf expert Cinzia Bianco, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The UK’s decision to ban imports from illegal Israeli settlements, and impose sanctions on entities that are used to build them, has put new pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu’s government as the occupied West Bank faces unprecedented land grabs. It has been more than two years since the International Court of Justice issued its advisory opinion stating that all states are under an obligation not to recognise Israel's decades-long occupation. The court also obliged Israel to stop building settlements, which are illegal under international law. Israel began its settlement project when it occupied Palestinian territory in 1967. It has continued expanding under every successive government, and at an accelerated pace since October 7, 2023. But one project in particular has rung alarm bells. The Israeli government has issued a tender to build 1,200 housing units as part of the E1 settlement. This development would cut the West Bank in half, making the prospect of a Palestinian state unviable. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to Mairav Zonszein, senior analyst on Israel at the International Crisis Group. They discuss what the new UK-led measures will change on the ground and whether they will have any bearing on Israel's actions.

When the US announced it was imposing new sanctions on Iran late last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the aim was to sever every economic lifeline “until Tehran stands alone”. The burden will also fall on Iran-backed groups across the region. For Hezbollah in Lebanon, the sanctions deal yet another blow after its war with Israel, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the fallout from the US-Iran conflict. Before the war, Iran’s funding to Hezbollah was about $700 million a year, according to the US State Department. Now, Washington has designated Hezbollah a terrorist group under Iranian control as part of its economic-pressure campaign. But the consequences could be felt by some southern Lebanese communities that depend on the group for their livelihoods and for reconstruction support after ruinous the conflict. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher asks whether Hezbollah can survive if it loses its Iranian financing and what this means for Lebanon as a whole. She speaks to Randa Slim, director of the Middle East programme at the Stimson Centre.

Israel has been attacking parts of Syria since the fall of the Assad regime and carrying out incursions into the country’s south under the pretext of targeting weapons of the former government. But its attack last week on the Abu Al Duhur military airfield in the northern governorate of Idlib was different, apparently directed at Turkey as tensions rise between the two countries. Israeli officials accused Turkey of stationing troops at the airbase, an allegation both Syria and Turkey dismissed. US special envoy to Syria and ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack called the strikes unnecessary and deeply concerning. The escalation comes at a time when President Ahmad Al Shara’s government is seeking stability with its neighbours, with Washington’s support. Stalled talks between Israel and Syria picked up again in Jordan this week as the US pushed to defuse tension. But with Turkey and Israel seeking to secure their influence in a post-Assad Syria, challenges remain. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses the motives driving this showdown between two major regional powers. She speaks to Noah Bonsey, senior adviser on Syria at the International Crisis Group, and Danny Citrinowicz, senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, Mercy Corps CEO Tjada McKenna joins host Nada AlTaher in conversation about the challenges facing humanitarian assistance across the Middle East and beyond. The impact of the Strait of Hormuz blockade has trickled down into the aid sector. Rising fuel costs, shortages of essential goods and delays in the delivery of materials such as fertilisers have all taken a toll on vulnerable communities that rely on operational supply chains. Humanitarian organisations are forced to adapt to the growing needs on the ground in places such as Gaza and Sudan, where mass displacement and conflict have brought life to a standstill, and in Syria, where rebuilding after 14 years of civil war remains complicated. Meanwhile, funding is dwindling. The Trump administration’s decision to shut down USAID projects last year has had tangible consequences in countries in the Middle East, where aid and economic empowerment programmes once provided a vital lifeline for millions. Now, many donors are choosing to invest in emergency life-saving efforts instead of in longer-term development projects. Ms McKenna discusses the importance of helping people to be more resilient to crises instead of simply responding to disasters after they happen.