Despatch from Beirut – Oz Katerji reports as Trump's Iran war rocks the Middle East

This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler

Podmasters

News, Society & Culture, Politics

4.9 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 13 March 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The US/Israeli war with Iran has led to a wave of conflict across the Middle East. In Lebanon, missile attacks on Israel from Hezbollah militants have been met with an Israeli assault – which has led to hundreds of deaths and more than 750,000 displaced from their homes. Reporting from Beirut, Oz Katerji talks to Lebanese political writer and organiser Karim Safieddine. They discuss the future for a Lebanese population which has endured years of conflict, now yet again dragged into regional warfare. • Support us on Patreon to keep This Is Not A Drill producing thought-provoking podcasts like this. Written and presented by Oz Katerji. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Executive Producer Martin Bojtos. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. This Is Not A Drill is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:04.7	The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran has also triggered a wave of Iranian retaliatory strikes across the region.
1:16.4	Recording in Beirut, Lebanon, as Israeli drones fly constantly overhead, renewed conflict between
1:23.4	Hasbullah and Israel is raging, with hundreds of thousands of Lebanese displaced by the fighting
1:28.7	and more than 500 dead as we sit down to record. Joining us on this special episode of the podcast,
1:35.8	also in Beirut, is the Lebanese political organizer and writer Karim Safiaddin,
1:41.8	here to discuss the humanitarian and political situation in Lebanon as this crisis unfolds.
1:48.0	I'm Oz Katji and This is Not a Drill. Before we dive into the sort of political element of this,
2:21.3	we are now recording at the end of the eighth day of this renewed conflict
2:26.3	between Israel and Hasba Allah.
2:28.3	Can you tell us about the humanitarian side of the situation in Lebanon
2:33.3	and the sort of things that you are dealing with at the moment.
2:36.0	First of all, thank you very much for the platform.
2:39.0	I think there is a big challenge, like a really, really unprecedented big challenge.
2:44.2	In the past war, because it was relatively new and fresh for a variety of diaspora audiences, the urgency was much more felt
	...

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