For episode 213, I talk about the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, how we got here, and what this means for both Iran and Lebanon. Also: Israel's ideological opposition to the concept of accountability, Israel's decreasing popularity in the US, the Ayatollah's brutal reign, and finally Hezbollah's catastrophic decision to join the war and how this is causing a severe crisis in Lebanon.

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Lebanon Masterclass: Spots are still available for my March-April 2026 masterclass on modern Lebanese history and politics, but not many. Find out more on the website, on Bluesky or on Instagram. If you're interested in a later class instead, let me know on [email protected] or Signal ayoub.02.

Referenced:

• My pieces: Iranian protesters don't owe us an explanation and How Hezbollah Lost Everything
• Yuval Abraham for 972: ‘A mass assassination factory’: Inside Israel’s calculated bombing of Gaza and ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
• Also: Saudi commentator / Centrist dems / Thread on Israel and accountability / US using AI to bomb Iran

Mutual Aid links: Lebanon emergency relief

FTP: The Fire These Times is a proud member of ⁠From The Periphery (FTP) Media Collective⁠⁠. Check out other projects in our media ecosystem: Syria: The Inconvenient Revolution, From The Periphery Podcast, The Mutual Aid Podcast⁠, ⁠Politically Depressed⁠, and ⁠Antidote Zine⁠. If you’re not a supporter yet, please consider doing so on Patreon.

Social Media:

• The Fire These Times is on Bluesky, Instagram⁠ and has a ⁠website⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠
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• Elia is on Bluesky, Instagram, Mastodon and has a website.

Credits:

Elia Ayoub (host, producer, episode design), Rap and Revenge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Music), ⁠⁠Wenyi Geng⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (TFTT theme design), Hisham Rifai⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP theme design), ⁠⁠Molly Crabapple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (FTP team profile pics) and Antidote Zine⁠ (Transcriptions).

Transcriptions: Want to help Antidote Zine transcribe episodes? Click here for more info.

Note on sound quality: I know there's a bit of a variation as I was pacing between two different rooms. Note to self for next time: stick to one room! I also had to do a quick edit on this one and I may have missed a cough or two. Hopefully not.