Vue lecture

Iran War Reflects a Changed Middle East and a New Israeli Military Doctrine

For years, Israel contained its conflicts with Tehran, Hamas and Hezbollah. The broad assault on Iran highlights a shift in strategy.

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Smokes after Israeli airstrikes in Tehran on Tuesday. In Iran, Israel is carrying out the kind of broad and brazen attack that it long threatened but never dared to enact before.

What’s Going On in the Middle East?

In sweeping attacks that started Friday, Israel struck at the regime in Tehran, hitting Iranian nuclear and military assets. Iran retaliated with barrages of ballistic missiles and drones. It is the most intense fighting in decades between the two heavily armed countries. To understand what’s happening in the region, Katrin Bennhold, a New York Times senior writer, spoke with Patrick Kingsley, the Jerusalem bureau chief.

Israel’s Netanyahu Looks to His Legacy in Striking Iran

Israel has long fought a shadow war with Iran while avoiding all-out conflict. Now Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is risking it all in pursuit of a conclusive victory.

© Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

A building damaged by an Israeli strike in Tehran, on Friday.

Touring a Tunnel in Gaza That Leads Underneath a Hospital

To Israelis, the location of an underground passageway highlights Hamas’s abuse of civilians. To Palestinians, Israel’s decision to target it highlights Israel’s own disregard for civilian life.

© Patrick Kingsley/The New York Times

A tunnel near a major hospital in southern Gaza that leads to a tiny room where the Israeli military says a top Hamas militant commander was killed.

Israel Armed Palestinian Militia to Fight Hamas, Officials Say

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged only that Israel had been working with “clans.” But the opposition leader warned that the “weapons going into Gaza will eventually be pointed at Israeli soldiers and civilians.”

© Abdel Kareem Hana/Associated Press

Smoke rising behind Israeli tanks in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, in May.

Gaza Cease-Fire Negotiations Hit A New Impasse Over An Old Dispute

For 18 months, Hamas has pushed for a permanent truce while Israel has held out for a temporary one. That wide gap has stymied efforts to end the war.

© Jehad Alshrafi/Associated Press

Israeli military strikes on Gaza have added to the suffering of Palestinian civilians as cease-fire talks have dragged on.
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