Take a look at that. We are seeing large blasts in Lebanon as Israeli forces launch a

fresh wave of strikes in Beirut.

The barrage of Hezbollah rockets and amassing of Israeli ground forces in Lebanon

mark the grim first anniversary of October the 7th.

As the conflict between Israel and its enemies to the north, south and east intensifies,

are we looking at full-blown war in the Middle East? Welcome to Power Play, Politico's weekly podcast, where we talk to some of the most influential people on either side of the Atlantic.

I'm your host, Anne McElvo,vo if you haven't already please do take a moment

to follow this podcast as the political cycle in the US and events in the Middle East cross

currents with dramatic consequences. A year ago Hamas's attack on southern Israel

which claimed the lives of 1,200 Israelis and the capture of 251 hostages senior diplomats. Saturday, October 7th is the single most deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

The scenes of Jews being hunted in the forest by bloodthirsty animals strike for me at least personally

an unpleasant code with anyone who saw the scenes or heard the survivor stories from Germany and

Eastern Europe during the Second World War.

One year on, many tens of thousands of Palestinians have been killed in retaliatory strikes on Gaza,

and the crisis in the Middle East has reached a critical moment as hostilities

expand between Israel and Lebanon and an Iranian missile attack on Israeli targets escalates fear

of widening the conflict.

My guests this week have over half a century of top-level diplomacy in the region between them.

David Satterfield Wales until recently, White House Special Envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues,

and a former US ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey. He's now Director of Rice University's Baker Institute

for Public Policy. Nicholas Hopton has just left the British Foreign Office, having served

as the UK's Ambassador to Iran, Yemen, Qatar and Libya.

...