The Iran-Israel War

Welcome to IWPR’s Frontline Update, your go-to source to hear from journalists and local voices at the front lines of conflict.

 THE BIG PICTURE  

A fragile ceasefire has dialled down tensions between Israel and Iran after nearly two weeks of active conflict, although fears of fresh fighting – and a wider international war – remain high.

In a series of special reports, IWPR spoke to people from across the region on the impact and implications – both personal and geopolitical - of this dangerous escalation. 

 VOICES FROM THE FRONTLINE 

“The sound of explosions and anti-aircraft fire could be heard from different parts of the city,” wrote one Iranian, describing scenes of chaos within Tehran as the missiles struck. The man, who asked to remain anonymous for his own security, then joined the stream of civilians fleeing the capital.

“I wondered how these war-displaced people would reach a safe place—and whether they’d be able to return anytime soon,” he said.

Viewed from Gaza, the missiles falling in both Israel and Iran felt like a distraction.

“The bombing in Gaza hasn’t stopped. The death toll is still rising,” Mohammad told IWPR from his hometown of Jabalia. “The starvation is spreading. Prices are skyrocketing. Goods are running out. Nothing's gotten any better - the opposite, the situation is deteriorating.”

And from Syria and Lebanon, there was renewed trauma as well as fears of a being dragged into a wider conflagration.

“The latest escalation between Israel and Iran is not just a geopolitical crisis,” IWPR Syria programme manager Thanaa Jebby writes in a deeply personal piece. “For Syrians, it stirs familiar and unsettling patterns of fear, uncertainty and helplessness. Once again, foreign powers trade fire, and once again, Syrian soil experiences the fallout.”

“We just want a moment of peace—a chance to breathe, to live with a clear mind, and to think about our children, jobs, our families, and the future of this beautiful country,” Dahlia Khoury, IWPR country director for Lebanon and Syria, wrote from Beirut. “We've learned the hard way through years of conflict, crisis, and hardship. All we ask for now is the opportunity to live in dignity, free from war and corruption.”

 WHY IT MATTERS 

Conflict brings with it confusion, fear and intense waves of malign information. This makes clear, factual and accurate reporting more important than ever.

 THE BOTTOM LINE 

Amplifying the voices of those directly impacted remains key to both understanding and resolving conflict. Civilians are inevitably the worst impacted, and all too often forced to remain silent.

“This is the tragedy of our region,” Jebby wrote. “Our lives are shaped by governments that do not speak for us. We are used by powers that do not protect us. And we watch each other suffer while knowing we are more alike than we are different.”