Bibi on board? Iran, America and Israel’s campaign in Lebanon

This episode of The Intelligence from The Economist explores the escalating tensions between Israel, the United States, and Iran, particularly focusing on the war in Lebanon and the fragile ceasefire negotiations. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued conflicting statements—promising talks with Lebanon while continuing deadly airstrikes against Hezbollah, which has resulted in over 300 deaths in Beirut. The U.S., under Donald Trump, has been conducting backchannel diplomacy with Iran through Pakistan, excluding Israel from the talks, creating a rift between the two allies. Anshul Pfeffer, The Economist's Israel correspondent, explains that while the U.S. and Israel initially coordinated military operations, the endgame is now being dictated by Trump, leaving Netanyahu in a difficult position as he balances domestic political pressures ahead of an upcoming election with the need to maintain alignment with Washington. Meanwhile, the episode also reflects on the Artemis 2 mission, highlighting its symbolic importance as the first crewed mission to orbit the moon since 1968, emphasizing diversity and public engagement over pure science. The mission’s emotional and cultural impact—marked by the naming of a lunar crater after a commander’s late wife—underscores the enduring power of space exploration to inspire. Finally, the episode pays tribute to Semyon Gluzman, a Soviet psychiatrist who exposed the political abuse of psychiatry in the USSR through underground samizdat literature, drawing parallels between past and present struggles for truth and freedom.