Tensions are once again escalating between Israel and Iran, after the Israeli military committed back-to-back assassinations last week on a commander of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon and a prominent Hamas leader who was visiting Tehran for the new Iranian president’s inauguration. Israel is reportedly preparing for retaliatory strikes from both groups, and residents in southern Lebanon continue to flee as many fear that the ongoing crossfire between Hezbollah and Israel at the border could now turn into a full-blown war.

In this episode of ‘The Exchange,’ Zeteo contributor Rula Jebreal brings in former U.S. State Department adviser and foreign policy expert Vali Nasr to unpack what is going on – and why.