Welcome back to the Diplomacy and Discourse Podcast! In this episode, we will unpack the latest developments in the most volatile region on Earth — the Middle East.

June 2025 marked a chilling escalation as Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a surprise strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. What followed was a storm of retaliation, missile fire, and regional mobilization, turning what began in Gaza into a full-blown multi-front conflict. From Hezbollah rockets in Lebanon to Houthi drones in the Red Sea, the region is now entangled in a kinetic and symbolic war reshaping power dynamics across the Middle East.

But this isn’t just a military story — it’s a diplomatic, digital, and psychological one. We explore how social media shaped public sentiment, how misinformation muddied the truth, and how the world ...