Iran Under Fire: Military Objectives, the Opposition's Moment, and the Future of Lebanon

In this episode of The Middle East Breakdown, hosts Dan Feferman and Hayvi Bouzo examine the ongoing U.S. and Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran, now entering its second week at the time of recording. The discussion covers the strategic objectives driving the strikes, the state of Iran's degraded military capabilities, and the critical question of what comes next for the Iranian people and the broader region.Joining the discussion are Dr. Walid Phares, author of "The Future Jihad," renowned Middle East expert and former Middle East advisor to the first Trump campaign; and Gazelle Sharmahd, human rights activist, spokesperson for the Kingdom Assembly of Iran, and director of the Iran desk at the International Freedom Coalition. Sharmahd brings extraordinary personal testimony as the daughter of Jamshid Sharmahd, a democracy activist abducted, tortured, and executed by the Islamic Republic regime.The panel examines the scope of U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran's navy, air defenses, ballistic missile infrastructure, and senior IRGC leadership. The conversation addresses the appointment of Mujtaba Khamenei as successor, the organized nature of the liberation movement inside Iran, mass defections from the armed forces, and the transitional leadership framework coalescing around Crown Prince Pahlavi. The panel also assesses the strategic transformation underway in Lebanon, where Hezbollah is at its weakest point in decades and Lebanese voices are speaking with unprecedented openness against the group, and what a post-Hezbollah order could realistically look like.Watch, listen, and subscribe for full episodes and regional analysis.🌐 Website: https://middleeast24.org▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MiddleEast_24📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middleast24🐦 X: https://x.com/middleeast24🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ZJcMz0