A plane uses a fire retardant to extinguish a fire near the border between Israel and Lebanon.
AP Photo/Leo Corre
A full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah would likely set the entire region on fire, involving Iran and its proxies, and could drag the US into direct confrontation with Tehran.
Members of Hezbollah walk during a procession in Beirut marking the holy day of Ashura in August 2022 carrying a poster of a drone with the words “we are coming” in Arabic.
(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Hezbollah’s recent release of drone footage taken inside Israel appears designed to send a message that the armed group can cause serious damage in the event of a full-scale war.
Hussein Malla/AP
Israel has cogent reasons for wanting to eliminate the threat from Hezbollah, but previous interventions in Lebanon have come at a cost.
EPA-EFE/Atef Safadi
All-out war between Israel and Hezbollah could destabilise the whole region, says Middle East expert Simon Mabon.
Is Beirut back to the era of the militias?
Associated Press / Alamy Stock Photo
Lebanon’s precarious sectarian balance is tipping as militias take hold again.
The 1983 Beirut truck bombing was the deadliest attack on U.S. forces abroad since World War II.
AP Photo/Bill Foley
More than 240 US personnel died in truck bombing – remembered as the worst day in his career by Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr., who died on March 20, 2024.
The Israeli Iron Dome air defence system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran in central Israel on April 14, 2024, after Iran launched its first direct military attack against Israel.
(AP Photo/Tomer Neuberg)
Despite launching an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory, Iran is still trying to avoid a larger war.
Hezbollah fighters hold the group’s flag during a rally to mark Jerusalem day in Beirut, Lebanon, April 14, 2023.
(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Since the war began, Israel has exchanged tit-for-tat cross-border attacks with the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. It is imperative to prioritize diplomatic solutions that end the violence.
A military spouse hugs a U.S. soldier at Joint Base Langley-Eustis ahead of deployment on March 12, 2024.
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
President Reagan said sending troops to Lebanon was his ‘greatest regret.’ Other presidents left office with similar misgivings. Could leaving troops in Syria and Iraq be the next strategic mistake?
A U.N. navy vessel seen through barbed wire patrols the Mediterranean Sea off the Lebanese coast.
AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari
A maritime border agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel seemed like a step toward peaceful relations. But now both countries are getting ready for what looks like an unavoidable war.
Armed and dangerous: fighters from Iran’s Quds Force at a funeral for comrades killed in the February 2 US airstrikes in Iraq.
EPA-EFE/Ahmed Jalil
Iran funds a large network of armed groups across the Middle East as part of its ambition to replace the US as regional power.
EPA-EFE/Michael Reynolds
The Biden administration has calibrated its strikes so as not to provoke a wider armed conflict in the region.
In this photo released by the Iranian Presidency Office, President Ebrahim Raisi, right, greets the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, at the start of their meeting at his office in Tehran in June 2023.
(Iranian Presidency Office, via AP)
Iran prefers to engage Israel through its proxies, but the risk of escalation makes this a dangerous strategy.
A billboard depicts the leaders of the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images
Iran has expanded its network of partners across the Middle East. But it isn’t a simple case of Tehran dictating the terms of the alliance.
P.jowdy/Shutterstock
Conflict between Lebanon and Israel looms – it would throw the Lebanese economy further into crisis.
Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
Hezbollah Military Media, via AP
Israel and Hezbollah are engaged in tit-for-tat attacks, but a diplomatic path still exists to avoid an escalation.
Divisions: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will find it hard to negotiate a peace deal with support from the extreme right of his cabinet.
EPA-EFE/Ronen Zvulun/pool
Facing opposition to a peace deal within his own cabinet, Israel’s prime minister will find it difficult to agree an international peace deal and hold on to power.
Hassan Ammar/Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo
It appears that, for now at least, Iran is happy to allow Gaza to be the epicentre of Middle East conflict. But all that could change quickly.
Min Htet San/EPA
From Myanmar to Pakistan, these countries have long-simmering conflicts or increasingly dissatisfied publics that could worsen in the new year.
A shell that appears to be white phosphorus from Israeli artillery explodes over a house in al-Bustan, a Lebanese border village with Israel, on October 15.
Hussein Malla/AP
The use of such incendiary devices is only legal under very specific circumstances. A careful examination of the evidence is now required.