Accessibility links
Middle East Middle East
Stories About

Middle East

Thursday

Wednesday

The U.S. is demanding Iran rein in its proxy groups. Is that actually possible?

Houthi fighters stage a rally in support of the Palestinians in Gaza and against the U.S.-led airstrikes on Yemen, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 29. Osamah Abdulrahman/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Osamah Abdulrahman/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

The U.S. is demanding Iran rein in its proxy groups. Is that actually possible?

When the U.S. launched airstrikes over the past week in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, the idea was to send a message to another country: Iran.

The U.S. is demanding Iran rein in its proxy groups. Is that actually possible?

Listen · 6:37
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1229739870/1229739932" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Saturday

The U.S. targets Iranian proxies for a second day in a row

U.S. Central Command released this undated photo as part of its announcement of renewed airstrikes against Houthi targets on Saturday. U.S. Central Command hide caption

toggle caption
U.S. Central Command

Middle East crisis — explained

The U.S. targets Iranian proxies for a second day in a row

The new round of U.S. strikes is far more extensive and deadly than those that have been launched since October, when the Israel-Hamas war began and pro-Iranian groups began their attacks.

Friday

U.S. hits Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria in retaliation for deadly strikes

President Biden and first lady Jill Biden attend the dignified transfer of the remains of three U.S. service members killed in a drone attack on a U.S. military outpost in Jordan, at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Friday. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

U.S. hits Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria in retaliation for deadly strikes

The strikes are more extensive and deadly than those launched since last October, when the Israeli-Gaza war began and pro-Iranian groups started an uptick of attacks.

U.S. hits Iranian proxies in Iraq, Syria in retaliation for deadly strikes

Listen · 3:29
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1228132782/1228793588" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

From the hospital to a tent in hours — what it's like giving birth in Gaza now

A woman dries a baby in a towel after giving the infant a bath inside a tent at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Rafah, in southern Gaza, on Jan. 18. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

From the hospital to a tent in hours — what it's like giving birth in Gaza now

UNICEF estimates about 20,000 babies have been born in Gaza since Israel began its offensive there in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

From the hospital to a tent in hours — what it's like giving birth in Gaza now

Listen · 6:33
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1227964976/1227976454" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Monday

The killing of U.S. troops in Jordan raises specter of a wider war in the Middle East

A satellite view of the U.S. military outpost known as Tower 22, in Rukban, Rwaished District, Jordan, in October last year. Planet Labs via Reuters hide caption

toggle caption
Planet Labs via Reuters

Middle East crisis — explained

The killing of U.S. troops in Jordan raises specter of a wider war in the Middle East

An escalation of violence in the Middle East over the last 24 hours, including a drone attack that killed three U.S. service members, has raised concerns about the possibility of a regional war.

Friday

Friendly fire and accidents have killed a lot of Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Here's why

Israeli army troops drive through a dirt road along the border with Gaza in southern Israel on January 25. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

Friendly fire and accidents have killed a lot of Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Here's why

Nearly 1 in 5 Israeli casualties since the invasion of Gaza were caused by friendly fire or accidents. Experts say it's one of the highest such percentages in recent military history.

Friendly fire and accidents have killed a lot of Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Here's why

Listen · 4:11
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1226977365/1226978412" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday

This American is one of the few allowed into Gaza. This is the horror she saw

Dr. Seema Jilani treats a baby at al-Aqsa hospital in Gaza. Tarneem Hammad/MAP hide caption

toggle caption
Tarneem Hammad/MAP

Middle East crisis — explained

This American is one of the few allowed into Gaza. This is the horror she saw

Dr. Seema Jilani spent two weeks at al-Aqsa hospital, where she saw horrors that include "the most nightmarish thing I've ever seen."

This American is one of the few allowed into Gaza. This is the horror she saw

Listen · 11:15
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1224019817/1224074890" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Friday

Mourners gather in Israel to honor memory of longtime peace activist Vivian Silver

Hundreds of mourners gather for the funeral service of Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver on Thursday in Kibbutz Gezer, Israel. Maya Levin for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Maya Levin for NPR

The Picture Show

Mourners gather in Israel to honor memory of longtime peace activist Vivian Silver

Hundreds of mourners gathered at a funeral service for Canadian Israeli peace activist Vivian Silver. She was declared dead this week after her remains were found at her home in Israel.

Thursday

Doctors are among the many dead in Gaza. These are their stories

A wounded Palestinian boy arrives to the emergency room of the Al-Shifa hospital, following Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City, central Gaza Strip, on Oct. 17. Israel claims Hamas uses the facility for military purposes and has built a vast underground command center below the hospital. As Israeli forces move in on the facility, hundreds of doctors and patients remain inside. Abed Khaled/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Abed Khaled/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Doctors are among the many dead in Gaza. These are their stories

More than 200 medical personnel have been killed since the war started. Their colleagues say there's been no time to mourn. In that spirit, doctors shared details about the lives that were lost.

Wednesday

Israeli troops enter Gaza's largest hospital and report finding Hamas weapons there

Israeli troops operate on the grounds of the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City in this photo released by the Israeli military. The Israelis say they found weapons belonging to Hamas, but did not provide details. Hamas denied the claim that it has been operating in or underneath the hospital. Israel Defense Forces/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Israel Defense Forces/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Israeli troops enter Gaza's largest hospital and report finding Hamas weapons there

Hamas denounced the actions by the Israeli military. The group denied the assertion by Israel and U.S. officials that militants were embedded in Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital.

Monday

We were interviewing a Palestinian farmer. Then the drone and soldiers appeared

Israeli forces take Ayoub Abuhejleh while he was being interviewed by NPR in the West Bank. Ayman Oghanna for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Ayman Oghanna for NPR

Middle East crisis — explained

We were interviewing a Palestinian farmer. Then the drone and soldiers appeared

There are days when you head out to report a story, and you think you know where it's going. And then it spins in an entirely different direction. This is the story of one such day.

We were interviewing a Palestinian farmer. Then the drone and soldiers appeared

Listen · 10:29
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1211987812/1211988299" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Saturday

In the shops of Jerusalem, empty seats and anguished hearts are all that's left

Itay Levy makes music and Kinnors — intricately-carved wooden harps. Ayman Oghanna for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Ayman Oghanna for NPR

Middle East crisis — explained

In the shops of Jerusalem, empty seats and anguished hearts are all that's left

The Old City of Jerusalem is thousands of years old. People from all over the world travel here to see the expansive history and the foundation of religions and empires — until now.

In the shops of Jerusalem, empty seats and anguished hearts are all that's left

Listen · 7:41
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1211769259/1211810411" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday

This Israeli general saw the horror of the Hamas attack. Now, he's urging optimism

Yair Golan rescued people stranded at the Nova festival when Hamas attacked. Ayman Oghanna for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Ayman Oghanna for NPR

Middle East crisis — explained

This Israeli general saw the horror of the Hamas attack. Now, he's urging optimism

The morning of the Hamas attack on Israel, Yair Golan — a former member of Israel's parliament and a major general in the country's military reserves — leapt into action.

This Israeli general saw the horror of the Hamas attack. Now, he's urging optimism

Listen · 8:13
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1211606356/1211614390" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">