Are the US and Israel still fighting the same war?

About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities of the US-Israel relationship amidst ongoing military actions against Iran.

More than 100 days since the US and Israel launched co-ordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, the war that was supposed to eliminate its threat and reshape the region is at a crossroads. Iran's military is still firing. Its proxies are still active. Hezbollah continues to engage Israeli forces on the ground in southern Lebanon. The Houthis have re-entered the equation, threatening to blockade the Red Sea. And the Iranian regime, in a new form, is intact. This week, US President Donald Trump made his position clear in an interview with the Financial Times. He said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no choice but to accept a deal with Iran. And then, in a striking public statement, said he calls the shots. Not Netanyahu. So is this a genuine rift between the two allies, or just the latest rough patch in a relationship that has long been complicated? In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher speaks to two people who have spent decades at the centre of the US-Israel relationship: Tom Nides, US ambassador to Israel under former president Joe Biden, and Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009.

People in this episode

Host: Nada AlTaher

Guests: Tom Nides, Ehud Olmert

Topics covered

• US-Israel relations
• Iran conflict
• Middle East geopolitics
• military strategy
• diplomatic negotiations

Keywords

• US
• Israel
• Iran
• Hezbollah
• Houthis
• Donald Trump
• Benjamin Netanyahu
• military strikes
• diplomacy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US, Israel, Iran, Hezbollah, Houthis, Financial Times

More episodes of Beyond the Headlines

• The limits of soft power: America’s war and its World Cup · June 5, 2026 · 23 min
• Replay: Who will fill the security vacuum in Gaza? · May 29, 2026 · 21 min
• More weapons, less action: What are the Houthis up to? · May 22, 2026 · 19 min
• Where does China stand in US-Iran conflict? · May 14, 2026 · 14 min
• Your move: What next in battle for Strait of Hormuz? · May 7, 2026 · 22 min
• Making sense of Palestine’s local elections · May 1, 2026 · 18 min