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US-Israel war on Iran 2026

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  • A group on motorbikes in the foreground on the left. In the background a bombed building and rubble.
    Lebanon

    Shia families struggle for shelter in divided Beirut

    More than one million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli strikes. Destruction and occupation have made return impossible for many from the south, including Shia families, who are stranded in Beirut with limited shelter amid deepening sectarian mistrust.

  • Displaced people live in tents along the seaside of Ramlet al-Baida on the Beirut Corniche in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 12, 2026, near the site where an Israeli strike reportedly targeted people sheltering in tents.
    Lebanon

    When war reached my Beirut home

    In Lebanon, war is a test of social cohesion. Beirut-based author Manal Khader recounts how fear and uncertainty spread through her neighbourhood. Her building's WhatsApp group came to life—first with updates and practical questions, then the tone shifted.

  • A yellow flag waves among a destroyed building.
    Lebanese writer Hazem Saghieh

    "Hezbollah has never protected Lebanon from Israel"

    Hazem Saghieh says that the renewed war between Israel and Hezbollah has revealed deep divisions within Lebanese society rather than fostering unity. He warns that Israel's intervention to disarm Hezbollah risks paving the way for a new occupation.

  • Iranian worshippers carry a coffin containing the body of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general, Sadegh Zakeri-Kia, during a funeral after an Eid al-Fitr mass prayer ceremony at a holy shrine in the Shahr-e Rey neighborhood in southern Tehran, Iran, on March 21, 2026.
    Ralph Ghadban on Iran

    "The Islamic Republic is rooted in society"

    Whether through appeasement or escalation, the West keeps making the same mistake with Iran, argues Islamic studies scholar Ralph Ghadban: it fails to recognise the regime's radical Shia ideological foundations.

  • Demonstration against Iranian regime repression in Paris, France on January 17, 2026. The march called to show rejection of the repression suffered by the Iranian population after the recent popular protests in the country.
    Opposition figure Behrouz Farahani

    "The war has frozen Iran's protest movements"

    The Iran war stems from two reactionary forces, the hegemonic ambitions of Iran’s Shia establishment and the Israeli vision of reshaping the Middle East, says Behrouz Farahani. A ceasefire is urgent, he argues, and real change must come from within.

  • Eine Säule aus schwarzem Rauch steigt aus einer Stadt auf.
    Iran War

    Will the Gulf states stand together?

    Hard hit by Iranian attacks, the business model of the Gulf states is under attack. Yet they are far from defenceless: with coordination—and unity—they could establish themselves as powerful agents of change.

  • Mohammed bin Salman and Donald Trump converse, Bin Salman gestures.
    Attacks on Iran

    Did the Saudis want this war?

    Saudi Arabia's calculations in the Iran war may be different from what many assume. Rockets and drones are flying towards Doha, Dubai and even Riyadh—yet the kingdom could still see opportunities in the conflict.

  • Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran on March 1, 2026. (Photo: picture alliance / Middle East Images | Fariba)
    German legal expert Kai Ambos on Iran war

    "International law is not a suggestion"

    The attack on Iran by the US and Israel violates the UN Charter, says Kai Ambos. He argues that European powers cannot preach a rules-based order while failing to denounce clear violations, and warns of a slide towards global lawlessness.

  • A portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally in Tehran.
    US-Israeli attacks

    The perils of a power vacuum in Iran

    The US believes removing Tehran's rulers will neutralise the nuclear threat. Yet destroying the Iranian state would not eliminate the danger of proliferation; it would decentralise it, making it elusive and impossible to monitor.

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