Part One of this two-part documentary focuses on the origins of the conflict between Iran and Israel. It began when the Israelis invaded Lebanon to confront a new Lebanese Shiite force backed by Iran: Hezbollah.

Part Two focuses on the period after the first Gulf War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union. With US influence dominant in the Middle East, there was an opportunity to settle the conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors. When Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin entered into dialogue with the Palestinians, one motive for the rapprochement was to neutralize Iran's influence. The Islamic Republic’s leaders found themselves threatened, and responded by confronting Israel and the US, while secretly making preparations for the development of nuclear weapons. 

Throughout the Middle East, targeted assassinations, bombings, and non-military attacks with no clear attribution are on the rise. Could the "secret war" between Iran and Israel escalate into a major regional or even global confrontation? The two countries are dominant powers in today’s Middle East. Yet Iran and Israel have failed to resolve their historical disputes, and there has never been significant dialogue between them. And what role does the United States play in the conflict? 

Based on painstaking archival research and featuring high-profile players in Israel, Iran, Lebanon and the US, the film looks back on the more than forty years since Iran’s Islamic Revolution. It explores key moments and provides ways of understanding the new Middle East.


Broadcasting Hours: 

Part 1: 

DW English

WED 15.06.2022 – 01:15 UTC
WED 15.06.2022 – 04:15 UTC
WED 15.06.2022 – 18.15 UTC 
THU 16.06.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 18.06.2022 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 19.06.2022 – 08:15 UTC

Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 I Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 I Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4

DW Deutsch+

THU 16.06.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 19.06.2022 – 08:15 UTC 

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3  


Part 2: 

DW English

WED 22.06.2022 – 01:15 UTC
WED 22.06.2022 – 04:15 UTC
WED 22.06.2022 – 18.15 UTC 
THU 23.06.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SAT 25.06.2022 – 02:15 UTC
SUN 26.06.2022 – 08:15 UTC

Lagos UTC +1 | Cape Town UTC +2 I Nairobi UTC +3
Delhi UTC +5,5 I Bangkok UTC +7 | Hong Kong UTC +8
London UTC +1 | Berlin UTC +2 | Moscow UTC +3
San Francisco UTC -7 | Edmonton UTC -6 | New York UTC -4

DW Deutsch+

THU 23.06.2022 – 09:15 UTC
SUN 26.06.2022 – 08:15 UTC 

Vancouver UTC -7 | New York UTC -4 | Sao Paulo UTC -3