Civil war has returned to Yemen.

The ceasefire of 2022 is over and open warfare has returned to the country. The Iran-backed Houthis have ceased large areas of the western coast and are encircling the city of Taiz. The Saudi-backed government has now launched its counteroffensive, but can they defeat the Houthis?

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we explore the recent clashes between the Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia and what impact the war will have on the country. Can either side win on the battlefield? What effect are the Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia having? And will the two sides be willing to negoiate?

Joining us to explain what the Houthi are doing and why, we speak with Maysaa Shujaa al-Deen (@maysaashujaa), senior researcher at the Sanaa Centre (@SanaaCenter).

And to tell us the story of Saudi thinking and calculations we speak with Allison Minor (@AllisonMinor_) senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (@CSISMidEast) and the former U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Yemen.

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

The recent win of Abdul el-Sayed in the Michigan Democratic primary was the latest in a string of defeats for AIPAC backed candidates.

While still strong in some areas of the US, in others, the backing of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a hindrance to candidates in others.

As AIPAC and political candidates approaching the Midterm elections in November try to weave the lines of US public approval, Israel is continuing its efforts to influence public opinion, with ever greater spending on social media hasbara efforts.

This week on The New Arab Voice podcast, we look at the state of public opinion in the US, and what the recent victories of pro-Palestinian candidates means for the upcoming elections, with insights from Gregory Aftandilian, Senior Professorial Lecturer at the School of International Service at American University.

We also speak with Nick Cleveland Stout, Research associate at the Quincy Institute in the Democratizing Foreign Policy program. Nick recently published a report titled: The Eighth Front: Inside Israel’s $1 Billion Influence Campaign, which documents Israel's efforts to influence US public opinion and sway policy in the US politics.

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com

Iraq's new Prime Minster Ali al-Zaidi took his first foreign visit to the US, followed shortly after with a trip to Tehran.

A political outsider and a surprise winner of the race to be prime minster, Ali al-Zaidi has a considerable inbox. And at the top is how to guide the country through the ongoing war between Iran and the US, its two closest allies.

On top of this, al-Zaidi has launched a crackdown on corruption and his seeking to disarm the myriad of armed groups in the country.

This week, we look at the new prime minster and how he came to office, his personal crusades, and the challenges he will face during this time of war.

Joining us is Lahib Higel (@LahibHigel), Deputy Program Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group (@CrisisGroup); and Renad Mansour (@renadmansour), Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House (@ChathamHouse), and the Director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House.

This podcast is written and produced by Hugo Goodridge (@hugogoodridge).

Theme music by Omar al-Fil with additional music from Audio Network.

To get in touch with the producers, follow then tweet us at @TNAPodcasts or email podcast@newarab.com