Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is facing a major political test this fall. After three years of war and growing public frustration, a former military chief is emerging as an unlikely challenger, offering voters a different vision for the country’s leadership. We look at how an outsider with deep security credentials is tapping into a desire for change — and what his rise could mean for Netanyahu’s political future.

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Swifts have nested in Jerusalem’s Western Wall since it was built over 2,000 years ago. But that ancient site is now surrounded by a modern city. And the birds are finding help adapting from an unexpected source: an Israeli paraglider.

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The U.S. and Iran have resumed striking each other for more that a week, ever since the collapse of a ceasefire deal over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan, the country that helped mediate the first ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is being asked to play the same role again. We look at how this peace role represents a remarkable turn of fortune for Pakistan.

And if Pakistan is able to negotiate a new ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, will Iranian hardliners allow it to go into place? Do they have the clout to stop it? We examine were hardliners fall in the current Iranian regime.

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The UK gets its seventh prime minister in the last decade. In a familiar ceremony, Keir Starmer, who was ousted by his own Labour Party tendered his resignation to King Charles at Buckingham Palace. The party’s new leader, Andy Burnham, was then given an audience with the King who invited Burnham to form a new government. We learn about Burnham, whose political career has been shaped by England’s North-South divide.

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The reasons given for the U.S. launching a war with Iran have shifted over time. But regardless of why the war started, the fighting between the U.S. and Iran is now largely over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil passed freely through the narrow international waterway. Now Iran controls the strait. We look at this threat to the freedom of navigation and whether it sets a a dangerous precedent for other waterways.

This episode is Global Affairs Correspondent Jackie Northam’s last story for NPR, she is retiring. Jackie has covered world events for NPR for decades from nearly every continent and just about every global conflict. You can hear Jackie reflecting on her remarkable career this recent episode of the Consider This podcast.

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The United States has been at war for more than 20 of the last 25 years. Afghanistan, Iraq and now Iran. Three major conflicts, all in the same region, and none of those conflicts have gone nearly as well as U.S Presidents said they would. We look at why the U.S. is so often at war and why it is finding them so hard to win.

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China’s northeast region borders Russian Siberia and North Korea. It’s a cold, vast area known for its gritty industrial history. But now the northeast is also the source of some of the country’s most popular music, literature, comedy and culture. And it’s come to represent both nostalgia for China’s past and apprehension for the country’s economic future. 

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Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California made a trip to the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank last week. There he says he was stopped and not allowed to leave for over an hour by armed Israeli settlers and then Israeli soldiers. He says he was only allowed to continue after contacting the U.S. embassy in Israel. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee later called his trip a “stunt” and said Khanna went to a military-controlled area without prior clearance. Israeli officials have also countered Representative Khanna’s narrative. We hear about this incident from Congressman Ro Khanna himself. 

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One of the most sought after weapons in the world is the Patriot air-defense system, developed by the US. It is considered to be among the most effective air defense systems having been tested in war-time situations by countries from the Middle East to Eastern Europe. In a rare move, President Trump announced at a recent NATO summit that the US will share the technology with Ukraine. The problem is that the Patriot defense system is difficult to produce, so takes a long time to get production up to speed and it is expensive. We hear what this development might mean for Ukraine’s war with Russia from Seth Jones, he’s the President of the Defense and Security Department at Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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Speaking at a meeting of NATO, President Trump said the ceasefire with Iran is over, but he is open to negotiations. That statement came after days of renewed airstrikes between the two sides. We know President Trump wants a deal to help bring down oil prices ahead of midterm elections, Iran stands to lose out on billions of dollars without the deal. We hear about the stakes for Iran on the ceasefire collapsing.

We also hear from a retired U.S. four-star general on what the four months of war with Iran have meant for U.S. military readiness in the Middle East.

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