The Media Line

‘Facing the Middle East’ examines Iran’s repression, black-Jewish solidarity, regional war risks

The Media Line began with the Islamic Republic’s efforts to reach Iranians abroad while tightening its grip on dissent at home, then turned to an exclusive report on its sexual abuse and repression.

FELICE FRIEDSON on 'Facing the Middle East' Episode 21
 Illustration of ISIS terrorists.

Russia warns ISIS-K recruiting Central Asian migrants for regional terror networks

International spiritual leaders stand on stage at a Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast event at the Knesset auditorium marking 600 days since the start of the war, May 28, 2025.

Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast at 10: Moral Courage of Christians Needed as Jews Face Danger

Men console each other as they sit on a sidewalk, near the scene of a reported active shooter situation at the Islamic Center, in San Diego, California, US, May 18, 2026.

How hate crimes and political assassinations reflect America's polarization crisis - analysis


A 'general aversion to anything Jewish' reported in Italy after Milan clash and Rome shooting

Jewish participants are driven from a historic anti-fascist march while a separate shooting in Rome intensifies a national debate over antisemitism, public memory, and civic space.

Participants clash during the 79th anniversary of the Liberation Day that commemorates the victory of the Italian resistance movement against Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic, in Milan, Italy, April 25, 2024.

Syrian pilot confessions reveal centralized bombing orders during war

One pilot, who had held senior leadership positions, noted that certain officers were granted special trust by the leadership and were assigned intensive bombing missions.

ABANDONED MILITARY jets are seen at the Aleppo airport on December 14, 2024 in Aleppo, Syria. Aleppo was the first major city to fall in last week's lightning offensive by rebel forces as they toppled Syria's Assad regime.

Israeli study finds plants absorb nutrients from airborne dust, challenging root-only theory

The study shows that leaves can take in minerals, including iron and phosphorus, from airborne dust, challenging the long-held understanding that plants depend solely on soil for nutrients.

Newly sprouted plants stand out in the soil, reaching for light, as the sun shines down in a garden setting during the spring season.

‘Ceasefire on paper’: Conricus warns Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas are using the pause to prepare

Former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus says Israel faces unresolved fronts in Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, warning that degraded enemies can still recover if not decisively defeated.

Kids holding the Hezbollah flags stand in a vehicle as displaced people make their way to return to their homes after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect, at the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, April 17, 2026.

National Religious Broadcasters urges FCC to investigate ABC over Kimmel remarks

The request centers on a segment presented as a parody of the upcoming White House Correspondents’ Dinner, during which host Jimmy Kimmel referenced First Lady Melania Trump.

Jimmy Kimmel poses on the red carpet at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, September 14, 2025.

Assad brothers summoned in absentia as Syria opens landmark trial of former security chief

The court’s summonses for Bashar and Maher Assad added symbolic weight to a proceeding targeting figures once considered untouchable

Atef Najib, a brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Department in Daraa during Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad's rule, who is accused of committing war crimes, attends a trial session at the Palace of Justice, in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026.

Iranian regime targets diaspora with propaganda, financial appeals, analyst says - interview

Geopolitical analyst Ashkan Rostami discusses how Iran is targeting its diaspora with propaganda and financial appeals, aiming to bolster support during the ongoing conflict.

 People burn Israeli flag during a rally outside the former US embassy in Tehran, to support the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip and to mark the 44th anniversary of the start of the Iran hostage crisis, on November 4, 2023.

Sexual abuse in Iranian prisons sharply rises as population repression increases during ceasefire

One young woman told The Media Line that she was sexually assaulted during interrogation, and that heavily-built officers used batons to carry out the abuse. 

THREE WOMEN - Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pakhshan Azizi, and Varisheh Moradi - are at risk of death following the confirmation of their death sentences.

UN envoy says Libya's roadmap to elections faces continued delays

UN envoy warns that Libya’s political deadlock and rival institutions continue to delay national elections and efforts to reunify the country.

A girl waves a Libyan flag, during celebrations commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 2011 revolution in Tripoli, Libya February 17, 2021.

Syria accuses Hezbollah-linked cells of plotting attacks, signaling break from Assad-era alliance

Damascus is moving against networks it says planned assassinations, bombings, and rocket fire, raising new questions about sovereignty and power after Bashar Assad’s fall.

A worker tears down the pictures of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, Lebanon's late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at a gas station in Nubl, in rural Aleppo, Syria, December 11, 2024.