Event Coverage Highlight

By Cathy Manso

As war continues to reshape the Middle East, journalists on the ground are documenting not only military escalation, but also the human cost, political uncertainty, and regional consequences reverberating far beyond Iran and Israel. Those realities were at the center of a recent Overseas Press Club program, “In the Thick of It: Middle East,” which brought together reporters covering the conflict from Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and the Gulf.

Moderated by NYU’s Mohamad Bazzi, the panel featured OPC governor Stephen Kalin of The Wall Street Journal, Daniel Estrin of NPR, Heidi Pett of Al Jazeera English, and Nabih Bulos of the Los Angeles Times. Drawing from firsthand reporting across the region, the discussion explored how the conflict has transformed daily life, strained alliances, and deepened fears of long-term instability.

Early in the conversation, Bazzi framed the discussion around the widening reach of the conflict, describing it as a complicated war. “It’s a multi-front war involving Iran, Israel, and the U.S. Lebanon has been a huge part of this war.” 

Kalin detailed the mounting concerns in Gulf states over attacks linked to Iraqi militias and questions surrounding the reliability of U.S. security guarantees. Reflecting on his reporting in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, he said, “There was a sense before the war started that these countries would rather avoid direct conflict because of the dire economic consequences.” But he warned that attitudes have shifted as the conflict deepened. “Now they’re in a place where they wish the war hadn’t started, but it has, and they are concerned about it ending before the threat is removed.” 

In Lebanon, Pett and Bulos described the devastation and fear caused by Israeli strikes, including the April 8 bombardment that shook Beirut and southern Lebanon. Pett recalled the confusion and panic after hopes for a ceasefire collapsed. “It was such a frightening, terrifying, confusing and disappointing day for many people in Lebanon who had really hoped that that regional ceasefire was going to apply.”  She continued to describe conditions in southern Lebanon and added, “The windows are shaking, you hear the warplanes overhead, there’s the airstrikes, there’s the demolitions, there’s artillery shelling, there’s white phosphorus, it’s constant all day, every day.” 

Bulos spoke about the increasingly pervasive role of surveillance and AI-assisted targeting in the conflict, describing Lebanon as having been turned into “a panopticon,” a system that allows a watchman to observe occupants without the occupants knowing whether or not they are being watched.

“We’re in this sort of halfway war, or a twilight war,” he explained. ”As Heidi said, in areas north of Beirut, it’s fine. People are going out, but at the same time in the South it is an absolute war.” 

From Israel, Estrin described the surreal rhythms of civilian life under missile attacks, with Israelis repeatedly rushing to shelters before resuming ordinary routines moments later. He also discussed shifts in Israeli public opinion as the war continued, noting, “Support among Israelis for the Iran war in the weeks that followed slipped to somewhere around 70 percent among Jewish Israelis. So still very high. But that is a significant slip.” 

He further highlighted rising settler violence in the West Bank and the continuing importance in reporting the “gruesome reality.” Estrin shared his own recent experience:

“We met a man who was a strawberry farmer, and suddenly, a militia of settlers descended upon his village, attacked, and opened fire and killed his young son, and then another one stabbed him.” Estrin reflected and continued, “Journalists here on this panel have interviewed people during the worst days of their life, in grief, crying. Seeing him cry over the death of his son for just a senseless act of hateful violence. And then him switching into Hebrew, speaking with an Israeli colleague saying, ‘Where is the Israeli TV? And why aren’t they talking about this?’”

Syria, while relatively spared from direct devastation so far, also emerged as a focus of concern. Pett noted that many Syrians viewed the conflict with relief that their country had not yet become another active front. But she cautioned that Syria remains vulnerable to future instability and expanding regional tensions.

The discussion ended on a sober note, reflecting both the uncertainty facing the region and the essential role journalists continue to play in documenting events as they unfold.

Watch the full “In the Thick of It: Middle East” program on the Overseas Press Club YouTube channel below: