Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon, Iran’s ballistic attack – there will be no end to this turmoil until a diplomatic settlement is reached, says Middle East expert Lina Khatib

With thousands injured in a coordinated attack, the Lebanese group is seriously hobbled but under unprecedented pressure to strike back, says Middle East expert Lina Khatib

Despite escalations, a full-blown conflict would be bad for both. But all this brinkmanship is diverting attention from Palestine, says Lina Khatib of Chatham House

Who will be the next supreme leader isn’t clear. But the regime is unlikely to extend its hand to anyone but ultra-loyalists, says Lina Khatib of Chatham House

The country is on the defensive. While Israel has ironclad support from its allies, Tehran is vulnerable and isolated, says Lina Khatib of Soas University of London

A Lebanese front is unlikely: it wouldn’t be in Iran’s interests, as it would probably spark US intervention, says Lina Khatib, director of the Soas Middle East Institute

Emmanuel Macron and other leaders can help Lebanon reform by ending their patronage of a disastrous regime, says Lina Khatib of Chatham House

Under Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has become a state with zero tolerance of even measured dissent, says Lina Khatib of Chatham House

The fighting is more about deflecting aggression than provoking all-out war. But Washington has a key role, says Lina Khatib of Chatham House

Military action alone won’t oust the dictator. The west needs to prosecute a political strategy that leads to a negotiated settlement

The ‘ceasefire’ will not halt Russia’s air campaign. Weakening the rebels and sacrificing civilians for political power are sowing the seeds of future instability

Media interest in Isis has overshadowed the humanitarian catastrophe occurring at the hands of pro-Assad forces. The Syrian conflct is more complex than good v evil

Lina Khatib: Clashes in Lebanon are symptoms of underlying tensions that are worryingly close to those that started the country's civil war