CMEC Director Charlotte Leslie talks to Lt. General Sir Simon Mayall CB KBE - also an author, historian and an expert on the Middle East - about the current crisis in Lebanon.

In recent days Israel has assassinated the head of Hezbollah - Hassan Nasrallah, and launched a series of airstrikes against Hezbollah and Hamas targets within Lebanon, killing Hamas's leader there, Fatha Sharif. An estimated 1,600 people have been killed in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict since October 8th, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack on Israe.

Israel has also attacked Iranian proxies the Houthis in Yemen. What does all this mean for the MENA region and the world? Could, for example, Israel soon strike at Iran's nuclear infrastructure as part of its current military campaign?

Sir Simon's latest book, House of War, is a history of crucial battles affecting the history of the Middle East and Europe