Israel Wants to Turn Lebanon Into Gaza (w/ Rania Khalek)
18 March 2026

Israel Wants to Turn Lebanon Into Gaza (w/ Rania Khalek)

Current Affairs

About

🌹 Use the code "15OFF" for a discount on Current Affairs: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership


Rania Khalek is a journalist based in Beirut and the host of Dispatches on BreakThrough News.


In this conversation with Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson, she describes life under bombardment in Lebanon as Israel’s assault displaces over a million people and spreads fear across Beirut. Khalek discusses the silence of U.S. Democrats, what Americans are responsible for as their government backs the war, and the broader escalation across the region. She also examines the failures of U.S. media coverage, the dehumanization that enables mass killing, and why Iran’s response must be understood in the context of self-defense and the breakdown of international law.


🇱🇧 Subscribe to  @BreakThroughNews 


🇱🇧 Rania's SubStack: https://substack.com/@raniakhalek?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=58m7xg


🇱🇧 Rania's Twitter: https://x.com/RaniaKhalek


🇱🇧 Rania's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raniakhalek/?hl=en


0:00-14:05 Life under bombardment in Lebanon


14:05-18:45 Democratic silence on Lebanon


18:45-24:10 What Americans should understand about Lebanon


24:10-29:56 Escalation and nuclear fears


29:56-36:19 Media failure and dehumanization


36:19-45:20 Iran, self-defense, and international law


🦩SUBSCRIBE TO CURRENT AFFAIRS MAGAZINE: https://www.currentaffairs.org/membership


🦩 MERCH: https://shop.currentaffairs.org/


🦩THE MYTH OF AMERICAN IDEALISM: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738224/the-myth-of-american-idealism-by-noam-chomsky-and-nathan-j-robinson/