Unpacking Israeli History Emergency Episode: Inside the Attack on Iran with Avi Melamed
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Mar 1, 2026 Avi Melamed, a geopolitical Middle East expert and former Israeli intelligence official, offers concise context and analysis. He traces Iran’s revolutionary roots and the Sunni–Shia divide. He maps Tehran’s proxy network from Hezbollah to the Houthis. He outlines regional fallout, unknown next moves, and why Iran is seen as an existential threat.
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Crisis Built Over Decades Not Days
- Iran's current crisis is rooted in decades of ideology, proxy warfare, and a regime defining itself against Israel and the U.S..
- Noam and Avi emphasize the January 2026 protests, mass killings, and the broader historical arc from 1979 to today's escalation.
Shiite Jurisprudence Created Supreme Leader Power
- The Shiite political theology of rule by jurists gave Iran's Supreme Leader near-absolute power in the Islamic Republic.
- Avi traces this to 7th-century Sunni-Shiite splits and the clerical takeover after the 1979 uprising.
1979 Was A Coup Not Just A Revolution
- Iran's 1979 upheaval began as a broad uprising with secular and socialist elements before clerics seized control.
- Avi calls it an 'Islamic coup' because clergy joined and then eliminated their earlier allies to seize power.