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It has been ten days since Israel launched an unprovoked campaign of sustained bombing against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hundreds of Iranian civilians have been killed as Israel assassinated dozens of military and intelligence leaders, including commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as well as nuclear scientists and other technical experts. In some cases, these assassinations have been conducted in crowded residential buildings.This weekend, the U.S. overtly joined Israel’s war against Iran, launching a series of bombings targeting several Iranian nuclear sites in Operation Midnight Hammer. President Donald Trump claimed that Iran’s nuclear capability has been totally decimated and praised himself for his decision to bomb Iran despite no evidence that Iran posed any imminent threat to the United States. Iran has suggested these attacks, which included the use of fourteen 30,000 pound bombs, did far less damage than the U.S. and Israel have suggested.On Monday, in response to the U.S. bombing, Iran fired missiles at U.S. Central Command headquarters at al Udeid air base in Qatar. This weekend, Trump and other U.S. officials threatened even greater use of force against Iran should it retaliate against the unprovoked U.S. bombings this weekend. The U.S. position is that Iran must capitulate to the demands of the U.S. and Israel.Shortly before Iran launched its missile strikes on U.S. CENTCOM in Qatar, Drop Site’s Jeremy Scahill spoke to the Iranian international law scholar Dr. Helyeh Doutaghi to discuss the widening U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. In March, she was suspended and ultimately fired by Yale University after a Zionist-led campaign to portray her as a member of a terror organization. She served as the deputy Director of the Law and Political Economy Project at Yale.She is currently a scholar of international law and geopolitical economy and she is now a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Tehran. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

The Israeli government launched an unprovoked attack on Iran last week, killing hundreds of Iranians in a surprise attack on the capital city of Tehran. The two countries have traded missiles in the days since, killing hundreds of civilians.Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing for the U.S. to become directly involved in the fighting as a means not only to set back the Iranian nuclear program but overthrow the government itself.In this episode, Drop Site journalist Murtaza Hussain talks to defense analyst Shahryar Pasandideh about how this war started, what each side wants, and the implications of U.S. involvement in another major conflict in the region.Listen above or on the Drop Site News channel on Apple, Spotify, RSS, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

On Friday, Israel launched a full-scale military operation against Iran, carrying out strikes across the country that killed at least 224 people by Sunday afternoon. Iran’s Health Ministry says over 90% of those killed were civilians. Hospitals describe a “bloodbath,” with a constant flow of wounded since the first strikes. Medical facilities have been struck, and Red Crescent workers are among the dead.Israel says it is targeting nuclear and military infrastructure, including bases and defense facilities, but has also bombed energy sites and residential areas and called for the evacuation of a large residential area of Tehran.This week, Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain are joined by Farzan Sabet (@IranWonk on X), Managing Researcher at the Geneva Graduate Institute and an expert on Iran and regional security. They examine Israel and Iran’s military strategies, the possibility of an off-ramp, and whether the U.S. is preparing to intervene directly. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Murtaza Hussain, a seasoned war reporter, delves into Israel's recent airstrikes on Iran, which escalated tensions in the region. He discusses the strategic motivations behind these attacks, aimed at disrupting Iran's nuclear ambitions. The conversation navigates the complexities of U.S. foreign policy and the moral dilemmas faced by nations amidst these conflicts. Murtaza also highlights internal challenges Iran faces due to the strikes and the potential ramifications for U.S. involvement, all while exploring shifting perceptions of Israel within American politics.

The failure of global and regional efforts to stop Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip is now giving rise to a burgeoning grassroots movement aimed at breaking the siege of the territory and building direct solidarity with Palestinians. On Monday, an activist group sailing on the ship the Madleen was intercepted by the Israeli military. That ship was attempting to break the naval blockade on the territory, while delivering a symbolic amount of aid to Gaza. The activists on the Madleen, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, were detained by Israel after being abducted in international waters. Some were subsequently deported.Their effort is only one of many civil society campaigns now trying to break Israel’s stranglehold over the territory. International activists are now preparing to march by land to the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. A convoy drawing citizens from over 50 countries, and including members of labor unions, solidarity movements, and human rights organizations, is now commencing a campaign called the Global March to Gaza. Organizers and participants are planning to converge in Cairo this week, before marching from the Egyptian capital on foot towards Rafah, where they plan to stage a sit-in aimed at pressuring authorities to reopen the crossing.The convoy hopes that their efforts with help halt the genocide against Palestinians, now nearing its second year, while forcing the resumption of humanitarian aid to the besieged coastal territory. Drop Site journalists Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Murtaza Hussain discussed the convoy and its aims this week with organizers Seif Abukeshek and Melanie Schweizer, who are preparing to depart as part of the campaign this week. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

In this discussion, Selim Koru, an analyst at the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey and author of 'New Turkey and the Far Right,' dives into the intensifying authoritarianism under President Erdogan. He analyzes the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, highlighting the resulting protests and implications for Turkish democracy. Koru also explores Turkey's evolving geopolitical ambitions, its complex relationship with Kurdish groups, and the rising influence of far-right nationalism. His insights shed light on a nation at a pivotal crossroads.

Sami Al-Arian, a prominent Palestinian activist, and Eyad Amawi, coordinator with the Gaza Relief Committee, discuss the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They highlight the dire conditions faced by Palestinians due to the blockade and ineffective aid efforts. The conversation dives into the complexities of the ongoing negotiations, including Hamas's proposal for a ceasefire influenced by U.S. envoys, and critiques the biases that favor Israeli interests. Eyewitness accounts reveal the urgent need for international intervention as casualties rise among vulnerable populations.

The “humanitarian aid” scheme, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has characterized as necessary to maintain U.S. support for his war of annihilation against the Palestinians of Gaza, began on Tuesday. Within hours, Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians at a site near Rafah, while the family of a man who went to get a small box of food aid says he was kidnapped by Israeli forces. The program is managed by a shadowy “non-governmental organization” and is being staffed, in part, by U.S. mercenaries. Some eyewitness reports indicate U.S. contractors also fired at the crowd. No deaths or injuries have been reported as of publication. Photos released earlier in the day showed Palestinians packed into metal enclosures at the site, where, according to local sources, they were held for hours in intense heat with no clear system for distributing food. The aid center is one of two launched Tuesday under a controversial U.S.-Israeli mechanism that bypasses UN agencies and has drawn criticism from Palestinians and humanitarian groups.Meanwhile, on Monday, Hamas announced it had reached an “understanding” with U.S. officials for a new ceasefire agreement, but almost immediately after the news broke, Israel denounced the plan and insisted it would not enter into any agreement with a clear path to halting the genocide or the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. On this week’s Drop Site News live stream, Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim analyze the Trump administration’s approach to the war against Gaza, the specific terms of the agreement Hamas endorsed and the prospects that Trump might force Netanyahu to halt Israel’s genocidal onslaught.While all international and regional players recognize that Trump is the only person with the power to stop Netanyahu, there are strong voices within his administration that want to see Israel continue on with its occupation and ultimate goal of erasing Palestinians from Gaza and seizing the territory. Pressure is mounting from European nations on Israel to end its war, but the hard reality is that it will all come down to whether Trump—for his own political and personal business interests—decides it must stop.Drop Site is fueled by our readers. Become a paid or free subscriber today. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

The U.S. and Iran are headed into a new round of negotiations to address the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program. Will it avert a military confrontation that seems closer than ever?Reports this week indicated that Israel was preparing military assets in anticipation of a direct strike against Iran. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about whether Iran would be allowed to maintain a uranium enrichment capacity for a civilian nuclear program—an issue Iran has said is a red line for any negotiation.To discuss the ongoing talks and the longer history between the U.S. and Iran, Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain is joined by Dr. Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of the new book “Iran's Grand Strategy: A Political History.”Listen above or on the Drop Site News channel on Apple, Spotify, RSS, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is currently in the midst of another campaign of sabotage to prevent a “ceasefire” agreement that would bring an end to Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinians of Gaza. All parties—from Hamas, to the regional mediators Qatar and Egypt, to the Trump administration—know that Netanyahu is entrenched in his position that Israel will not agree to any deal that does not allow Israel to continue a campaign it has characterized as a war of conquest against Gaza. Israeli officials have made no secret about their aim of erasing Gaza as a Palestinian territory and removing its 2.3 million residents. Hamas has said it will not release any more Israeli captives unless an agreement is reached that includes a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a clear path to a long term ceasefire.In the latest Drop Site News livestream, Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Grim discuss how Israel is using the veneer of agreeing to allow aid into the besieged territory to enable it to pursue its final solution in Gaza, with the full support and backing of the U.S. government. They also talk about the deal the U.S. made with Hamas to free Israeli soldier and U.S. citizen Edan Alexander. Hamas told Drop Site that Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff personally promised the group it would compel Israel to lift its full spectrum blockade on Gaza two days after Alexander was released. Witkoff, Hamas said, also told Hamas that President Donald Trump would publicly call for a ceasefire and serious negotiations to end the war. Hamas accused the U.S. of “throwing the deal in the trash.” As Israel intensifies its attacks against Gaza and the humanitarian situation growing more grave by the day, the central question is whether Trump—for his own reasons—will force Netanyahu to end the war or whether Trump will continue to facilitate Israel’s campaign of annihilation. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe