On this week’s episode of Mehdi Unfiltered, Mehdi explains the Israeli military policy driving their genocidal campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. 

“The Dahiya doctrine calls for the Israeli military to intentionally, deliberately, cynically, inflict long-lasting and disproportionate damage onto the enemy, no matter how bad the civilian consequences,” Mehdi says. “AKA, exactly what we’re seeing in Lebanon now, and in Gaza for the past year.”

Why doesn’t the US media give Israel’s Dahiya doctrine any coverage? Mehdi does a deep dive into the history behind the policy, that of which mainstream media has failed to bring attention to. 

To discuss Israel’s new front of the war in Lebanon, Lebanese academic and London School of Economics Professor, Fawaz Gerges joins the show. Gerges talks to Mehdi about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest message to the Lebanese people, in which Netanyahu called on the Lebanese people to, “stand up and take their country back” from Hezbollah or face the same suffering Israel has inflicted on Gaza. 

“What Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition are trying to do is to instigate a civil war in Lebanon. They're calling on the Lebanese to rise up to revolt against Hezbollah, knowing full well that Hezbollah is an integral part of the social fabric [in Lebanon],” Gerges says.

Watch the full discussion above to hear Mehdi and Fawaz discuss why Israel’s military strategy is so ineffective, the killing of Hezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah, and how the war in Gaza could change the international order forever. 

Also on the show, human rights activist Dr. Mahrang Baloch joins to tell Mehdi the story of how after being named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Next, the Pakistani government barred her from traveling to New York to be recognized by Time and attend their gala this week. 

Baloch, who has been speaking out against Pakistan’s abuse and killing of the country’s Baloch minority, tells Mehdi that she was prevented from traveling to New York for the gala because the government knew she “would expose their war crimes in Balochistan.”

“For years, our people have suffered enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and unimaginable human rights violations. And the US is [Pakistan’s] biggest ally ,” Baloch says to Mehdi. “Not a single person that belongs to the Baloch community is safe.”

Listen to Mehdi’s interview with Dr. Mahrong Baloch to hear more about what the recognition from Time Magazine means to her and her minority community, as well as why other countries are turning a blind eye to Pakistan’s abuse.

After Elon Musk’s surprise appearance at a Trump rally this past weekend, Mehdi is joined by the authors of “Character Limit,” – a new book about Musk and his disastrous Twitter takeover. 

"From bringing back formerly suspended accounts like that of former President Donald Trump and a variety of white supremacists and card-carrying antisemites, to then suspending accounts of journalists tracking the location of his jet using public sources, one thing is clear about Elon Musk, he is not the hero in this story,” Mehdi says. “But he thinks he is.”

Watch Mehdi’s interview with the authors, Ryan Mac and Kate Conger, to hear more about Musk forming his own echo chamber, his decisions to reduce content moderation on Twitter, and his rise into the far-right MAGA world. 

Be sure to watch the rest of this week’s episode above. Let us know what you think and who you would like to see on the show next.

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit zeteo.com/subscribe