meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The John Batchelor Show

80: Middle East War Dynamics: Hamas Decimation, Peace Plans, and Hezbollah Rearmament. Jonathan Schanzer addresses the BBC's acknowledgment of breaching editorial guidelines over 1,500 times during the Gaza conflict. He confirms that Hamas has been decimated,

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Books, News, Society & Culture, Arts

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 12 November 2025

⏱️ 9 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Middle East War Dynamics: Hamas Decimation, Peace Plans, and Hezbollah Rearmament. Jonathan Schanzer addresses the BBC's acknowledgment of breaching editorial guidelines over 1,500 times during the Gaza conflict. He confirms that Hamas has been decimated, operating as a spent, asymmetric urban force. Schanzer details the Trump administration's "Board of Peace" proposal for Gaza, stressing the need for a technocratic authority that excludes both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. He also highlights troubling reports that Hezbollah is rearming with increasing speed, assisted by Iran and, surprisingly, Turkey.

1922 GAZA

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm John Batchew with my good colleague Jonathan Shanzer. Eyes on the war that is ceasefire,

0:07.6

yes, but in Lebanon, the IDF has launched new strikes against what were described as

0:13.5

arsenals or depots. The question is, Hizbollah. It's not been quiet, but it has looked

0:20.6

disorganized for some weeks, months now. Question is, Hezbollah. It's not been quiet, but it has looked disorganized for some weeks, months now.

0:24.0

Question is, is it rearming? The answer is yes, but how? Jonathan, the strikes by the idea

0:29.5

for more than those five watch points that were established some time ago to make sure

0:35.1

the Baccah doesn't light up again along the border. Is Hesbalah having

0:40.4

success bringing in new weaponry and new money, or is it, or is this just a face of defiance?

0:48.9

Well, John, actually, we're hearing some troubling news out of Lebanon right now, more troubling than I would have expected.

0:56.4

The first piece of news is that the Syrian border is more porous than we had previously heard,

1:04.0

that Iran is having more success than previously reported in bringing over weapons to rearm his Bala.

1:11.9

They're moving weapons in faster than the Israelis were previously aware of,

1:16.6

and that's, I think, why we're seeing some of these strikes that are taking place.

1:21.9

The Israelis are getting the intelligence, and they are taking action in coordination with the United States

1:27.2

and the Lebanese government,

1:28.9

but that doesn't make it any more comfortable to hear the fact that Hezbollah, after a year of getting

1:34.9

crushed by the Israelis, are making some progress in re-arming.

1:39.1

The other thing that we're hearing, and this is deeply disconcerting, is that the Turks, the Sunni power in the region,

1:46.8

are also trying to rearm Hisbalah and they're doing so with some success.

1:52.1

Just to be very clear, that means that the Turks are crossing that Sunni Shiite sectarian

1:57.1

divide and they are trying to arm up a terrorist group to fight Israel. In other words,

2:03.9

what the Turks seem to be doing by trying to get a foothold in Gaza, by trying to get a

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from John Batchelor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of John Batchelor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.