Iran War: The Regional Fallout
From Our Own Correspondent
BBC
4.4 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 7 March 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
After the US-Israel attacks on Iran, surrounding countries have quickly been drawn into the war following retaliatory strikes by Iran. We hear from Turkey, Lebanon, Israel and Cyprus.
The US-Israel attacks on Iran hit major cities across the country, destroying civilian buildings in Tehran, as well as military sites in Natanz and Isfahan. Many Iranians are now trying to flee the ongoing attacks by crossing into neighbouring countries. James Waterhouse reports from the Turkey-Iran border.
There's a sense of déjà vu for the people of Lebanon who are once again forced to shelter after the militia group Hezbollah launched missiles and drones into Israel to avenge the killing of Ayatollah Khamenei. Israel replied with attacks on Hezbollah's Shia strongholds in the south. Wyre Davies has been in Beirut.
Many of the missiles fired towards Israel failed to penetrate its Iron Dome defence system - but not all. Nine people died after a synagogue in Beit Shemesh was hit, penetrating the bomb shelter beneath it. Hugo Bachega reports from Tel Aviv.
The strikes on Iran have had significant repercussions across the region, as Iran targets countries hosting US military bases. Cyprus was among those hit - a long-time base for the British RAF. Jessica Parker visited the base in Akrotiri.
And a renowned restaurant in Berlin which cast itself as a symbol of breaking bread across religious and political divides has just gone out of business. Is it just another victim of rising rents and economic instability? Lucy Ash pulled up a chair as one of its last diners, just as news of another conflict broke.
Producer: Serena Tarling Production coordinators: Katie Morrison Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello. Today, the U.S. Israeli attacks on Iran and killing of supreme leader Ayatollah |
| 0:12.2 | Khomeini has thrust the country into chaos and triggered violence across the surrounding region. |
| 0:19.2 | Our correspondence in Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and Cyprus |
| 0:23.3 | speak to people directly affected by this latest war |
| 0:27.2 | and examine the political ramifications for Iran, |
| 0:31.1 | its direct neighbours and countries further afield now caught up in the conflict. |
| 0:36.4 | Last week's attacks on Iran hit major cities across the |
| 0:40.0 | country, destroying civilian buildings in Tehran, as well as military and nuclear sites in Natanz |
| 0:46.8 | and Isfahan. The conflict is estimated to have so far killed more than a thousand people in Iran, |
| 0:55.8 | according to Iranian media and human rights groups. Many Iranians are now trying to flee the ongoing attacks by |
| 1:01.7 | crossing into neighbouring countries. James Waterhouse has been on the Turkey-Iran border. |
| 1:08.1 | Despite the very real reporting challenges of covering the U.S. Israeli aerial assault on Iran, |
| 1:13.8 | our task in eastern Turkey was simple to find Iranian voices. The political rhetoric from Washington |
| 1:20.5 | surrounding this ever-widening war has been constant. The stated goals of these airstrikes |
| 1:26.1 | have oscillated between regime change and wiping |
| 1:28.7 | out Iran's nuclear program and missile capabilities. But what about those on the receiving end of such |
| 1:35.1 | military might? President Trump urged Iranians to revolt against their government, saying it was their |
| 1:40.9 | best chance in generations for change. But at the mountainous border crossing, which separates eastern Turkey and northern Iran, |
| 1:48.4 | it seems falling bombs are spreading fear rather than emboldening the Iranian people. |
| 1:54.1 | A black flag replaced the Iranian one at the border post |
| 1:57.2 | after the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Hamini was killed in one of the airstrikes. |
| 2:02.9 | At 10,500 feet altitude up in these mountains, the weather here feels far colder than the |
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