Origins of Hezbollah

In this episode, we break down: Why Iran and Israel weren’t always enemies The secret cooperation between the two during the Cold War How oil pipelines and geography shaped Middle Eastern politics The turning point after the 1967 war The impact of the 1979 Iranian Revolution The ...  Show more

The U.S. is now at war with Iran — and in this episode, we break down how we got here, why it happened now, and what could come next. We react in real time to the opening phase of the conflict, from the shock of direct U.S. involvement to the strategic questions already emerging: ...  Show more

In June 1982, Israeli tanks rolled over the Lebanese border. Soon after, Iran sent 1,500 Revolutionary Guards into Lebanon to help fight them. Thereafter, funded by Iran but largely manned by Lebanese Shi’ites, Hezbollah established itself as the most powerful militia in Lebanon ...  Show more

Some four decades ago, out of the chaos of the Lebanese civil war, a Shia militant group was born who would grow into one of the most dominant and malign forces in Lebanese politics. A proxy for Iran, staunchly opposed to Israel and aggressive in their aims, they have now effecti ...  Show more

Real Arabic provides you with interesting podcasts about culture, politics, history, and society in the Middle East in slow, simplified spoken Levantine Arabic. This episode introduces you to the sectarian groups of Lebanon, which are key to understanding Lebanese history, cultur ...  Show more

Épisode 2 : Le Hezbollah Au Liban, dans ce pays d’une richesse culturelle et historique inégalable où se côtoient vestiges phéniciens multimillénaires et impacts de balles issus d’une guerre civile à peine cinquantenaire, les maux se font nombreux : luttes de pouvoir inter-religi ...  Show more