Is the Middle East caught in an unstoppable 'escalation trap' of all-out war?

In just twenty four hours, a US submarine has torpedoed an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Turkey, a NATO member state, has shot down an Iranian ballistic missile. And while Israel hammered Tehran and southern Lebanon with fresh rounds of strikes, Trump is considering arming Kurdish forces. The death toll is climbing into the thousands.In less than a week, has the US and Israel's military campaign against Iran spiralled into a war beyond anyone's control? Hamish Macdonald and Geraldine Doogue return to Beirut to speak with Kim Ghattas about the rapidly escalating war in the Middle East, and whether Iran has already been caught in a self-perpetuating 'escalation trap'.Guest: Kim Ghattas, Lebanese-born journalist and Middle East expert based in Beirut, and author of Black Wave: Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the Forty-Year Rivalry That Unraveled Culture, Religion, and Collective Memory in the Middle EastGet in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.