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Sunday

A portrait of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah sits amid destruction in a area targeted overnight by Israeli airstrikes in Saksakiyeh on Sep. 26, 2024.

A portrait of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah sits amid destruction in an area targeted overnight by Israeli airstrikes in Saksakiyeh on Sept. 26. Mahmous Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Mahmous Zayyat/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

From pager blasts to Nasrallah’s killing: 12 days that transformed a bloody conflict

NPR steps back and takes a closer look at the days leading up to the killing of Hezbollah's leader. Experts say this development has transformed an already complex and deadly conflict.

Saturday

Supporters of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group raise their fists and cheer as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah appears via a video link, during a Nov. 3, 2023, rally in Beirut to commemorate Hezbollah fighters who were killed in South Lebanon while fighting against the Israeli forces.

Supporters of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group raise their fists and cheer as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah appears via a video link, during a Nov. 3, 2023, rally in Beirut to commemorate Hezbollah fighters who were killed in South Lebanon while fighting against the Israeli forces. Hussein Malla/AP hide caption

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Hussein Malla/AP

Analysis

Middle East crisis — explained

Analysis: Hassan Nasrallah’s killing transforms an already deadly regional conflict

With Hassan Nasrallah dead in Israeli airstrikes, the Iran-backed militant group is facing enormous challenges as the region is yet again thrown into uncertainty.

Tuesday

Civil Defense first-responders carry a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sep. 17, 2024.

Civil Defense first-responders carry a wounded man whose handheld pager exploded at al-Zahraa hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sep. 17, 2024. Hussein Malla/AP hide caption

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Hussein Malla/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

Hezbollah accuses Israel as thousands hurt in unusual pager blasts

The attack raises fears of an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, and comes following warnings from Israeli officials of possible military action against the Lebanese group.

Tuesday

An Jordanian citizen votes in historic elections for the Parliament of Jordan's 138-seat lower house on Tuesday in Amman, Jordan. Voters are deciding their representatives in the 20th Lower House of Parliament.

An Jordanian citizen votes in historic elections for the Parliament of Jordan's 138-seat lower house on Tuesday in Amman, Jordan. Voters are deciding their representatives in the 20th Lower House of Parliament. Jordan Pix/Getty Images hide caption

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Jordan Pix/Getty Images

Year of Global Elections

Jordanian voters go to polls amid fears of a wider war

For the first time, political parties in Jordan are enabled to play a bigger role, relying on their platforms, amid fears of a wider war in the region.

Tuesday

People walk past a billboard showing a portrait of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (top) next to Palestine Square in the Tehran on Aug. 12, 2024.

People walk past a billboard showing a portrait of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (top) next to Palestine Square in the Tehran on Aug. 12, 2024. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East crisis — explained

U.S. charges Hamas leaders with terrorism over October attack in Israel

The Justice Department is charging six Hamas leaders with terrorism, including the architect of the group’s deadly Oct. 7 attack against Israel.

Wednesday

A new Israel-Hamas cease-fire talk starts this week. Is anything different this time?

A boy walks through the Jabalia camp for Palestinian refugees in the northern Gaza Strip on August 14. Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

A new Israel-Hamas cease-fire talk starts this week. Is anything different this time?

So often, telling the story of the Israel-Hamas war is reduced to a catalog of numbers.

A new Israel-Hamas cease-fire talk starts this week. Is anything different this time?

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Thursday

Vice President Harris speaks after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the vice president's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House on July 25.

Vice President Harris speaks after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the vice president's ceremonial office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House on July 25. Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption

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Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

Middle East crisis — explained

Harris says she 'will not be silent' about humanitarian toll in Gaza

In her remarks, which came after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris also said she held an “unwavering commitment to Israel."

Wednesday

What a second Biden or Trump presidency could mean for American allies and foes

Whether Biden or Trump wins in November will mean very different things for America's place in the world. Jim Watson/Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jim Watson/Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

What a second Biden or Trump presidency could mean for American allies and foes

America is facing two very different futures on the world stage after November.

What a second Biden or Trump presidency could mean for American allies and foes

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Thursday

Examining the state of Hamas on 3 fronts: troops, governance and narrative

This image, taken from Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip, shows smoke billowing in the Palestinian territory at sunset following Israeli bombardment on June 2. Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

Examining the state of Hamas on 3 fronts: troops, governance and narrative

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war in Gaza can't end until Israel has destroyed Hamas.

Examining the state of Hamas on 3 fronts: troops, governance and narrative

Listen · 9:52
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Wednesday

Lebanese special forces patrol on a road that leads to the U.S. Embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. A gunman was captured by Lebanese soldiers after attempting to attack the U.S. Embassy near Beirut on Wednesday, the military said.

Lebanese special forces patrol on a road that leads to the U.S. Embassy in Aukar, a northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. A gunman was captured by Lebanese soldiers after attempting to attack the U.S. Embassy near Beirut on Wednesday, the military said. Bilal Hussein/AP hide caption

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Bilal Hussein/AP

Middle East crisis — explained

A gunman was captured after a shootout near the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon

The Lebanese military said that soldiers shot an assailant, who they only described as a Syrian national. The gunman was wounded and taken to a hospital. The shooter's motives were not clear.

Monday

What to expect next after the sudden death of Iran's president

Men prepare to hang a huge portrait of Ebrahim Raisi outside the Islamic republic's embassy in Baghdad during a condolences service on Monday. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images

Consider This from NPR

What to expect next after the sudden death of Iran's president

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has died in a helicopter crash, according to state media. Here's how his death might contribute to instability in Iran and the region.

What to expect next after the sudden death of Iran's president

Listen · 10:33
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Monday

Iran's attack on Israel is a major escalation. What comes next for the region?

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system launches to intercept missiles fired from Iran, in central Israel this past weekend. Tomer Neuberg/AP hide caption

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Tomer Neuberg/AP

Consider This from NPR

Iran's attack on Israel is a major escalation. What comes next for the region?

Iran launched a barrage of more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel over the weekend, saying it was in response to an airstrike earlier this month that hit Iran's consulate in Syria and killed seven Iranian military officials, including two generals.

Iran's attack on Israel is a major escalation. What comes next for the region?

Listen · 10:00
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Friday

Is Israel perpetuating a cycle of radicalization rather than ending it?

Palestinians walk through the destruction from the Israeli offensive in Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip earlier this year. Mahmoud Essa/AP hide caption

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Mahmoud Essa/AP

Consider This from NPR

Is Israel perpetuating a cycle of radicalization rather than ending it?

For months, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been insisting that the goal of Israel's bombardment in Gaza is to "destroy Hamas."

Is Israel perpetuating a cycle of radicalization rather than ending it?

Listen · 9:21
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Thursday

A Symphony of Resistance (Throwback)

An anti-government protester is carried on shoulders in Tahrir Square in the afternoon before a speech by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Tahrir Square February 10, 2011 in Cairo, Egypt. Chris Hondros/Getty Images hide caption

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Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Throughline

A Symphony of Resistance (Throwback)

In 2011, the world was shaken by the Arab Spring, a wave of "pro-democracy" protests that spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The effects of the uprisings reverberated around the world as regimes fell in some countries, and civil war began in others. This week, we revisit the years leading up to the Arab Spring and its lasting impact on three people who lived through it.

A Symphony of Resistance (Throwback)

Listen · 55:31
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