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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.