Over the past few weeks, Yemen has once again returned to the centre of regional attention. What initially began as a renewed military confrontation between the Houthis and government-aligned forces has rapidly escalated into a broader regional crisis, with the Houthis taking control of vital sites in the Bab El-Mandeb Strait and increasingly re-drawing Saudi Arabia into the conflict. How have the Houthis managed to become so powerful? And what does this mean for the region?

To answer these questions, in this episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia, Curator of the MED Dialogues, speaks with Farea Al Muslimi, Research Fellow at Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, Yasmeen Al-Eryani, Executive Director for Knowledge Production at Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, and Luigi Toninelli, Junior Research Fellow at ISPI.

The West Bank is entering a new and increasingly uncertain phase. Settlement expansion is accelerating, violence is rising, restrictions on movement are tightening, and the prospect of annexation is becoming more central to the political debate.

In this episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia speaks with Hiba Husseini and Tahani Mustafa about how life in the West Bank is changing, the role of the international community, and whether upcoming Palestinian and Israeli elections could reshape its political future. Sara Isabella Leykin also looks at how the West Bank could influence Israel’s electoral dynamics and the choices facing Benjamin Netanyahu.

As facts on the ground continue to change, is there still space for a political solution?

July has been a pivotal month for Syria’s international relations. From participating in the NATO Summit in Ankara as the only Levantine country in attendance, to hosting the first visit by a Western head of state, French President Emmanuel Macron, it is now clear that Damascus is no longer considered a pariah state. These developments are the result of the Al Sharaa government's sustained efforts to reintegrate Syria into the international community, a process further facilitated by the country's increasingly attractive investment environment. Nevertheless, significant challenges remain, and the concrete implications of Syria's renewed international role have yet to fully materialise. How did Damascus achieve its reintegration? How is it structuring its new international partnerships? And what obstacles still stand in its way?

To answer these questions, in this episode of MED Insights, Nicola Missaglia, Curator of the MED Dialogues, speaks with Noah Bonsey, Syria Senior Advisor for the International Crisis Group, Mouayad Albonni, Senior Consultant at Karam Shaar Advisory, and Silvia Carenzi, ISPI Associate Research Fellow.