Paul Iddon

Erbil

Freelance Journalist and Columnist at Freelance

I write about stuff that interests me … mostly Middle East affairs, history, politics. Regular contributor to @BusinessInsider @forbes @The_NewArab & more

Articles

Israel’s Air Dominance Over The Middle East Was Decades In The Making

6 days ago | forbes.com | Paul Iddon

Israeli fighter jets fly low during the funeral of the former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and ... More Hashem Safieddine, who were killed in Israeli attacks last year, while tens of thousands of mourners attend their funeral in Beirut, Lebanon on February 23, 2025.
イスラエルがイランに未曾有の爆撃継続、民間人の被害拡大　「80年代より苛烈」との見方も | Forbes JAPAN 公式サイト（フォーブスジャパン）

1 week ago | forbesjapan.com | Paul Iddon

トップ経済・社会その他イスラエルがイランに未曾有の爆撃継続、民間人の被害拡大「80年代より苛烈」との見方もイスラエルはイランに対する未曾有の爆撃作戦を続け、イランでは民間人の被害が拡大している。イランの都市とその住民がこれほどの規模の空襲にさらされるのは、1980年代にサダム・フセインのイラクと8年にわたり繰り広げたイラン・イラク戦争以来のことだ。専門家のなかには、今回の空爆はすでに当時よりもいくらか深刻なものになっているとみる向きもある。イラン保健省のホセイン・ケルマンプール報道官は15日、イスラエルによる爆撃の死者は少なくとも224人、負傷者は1200人に達したと発表した。死傷者の9割は民間人が占め、女性と子どもが70人含まれるとしている。16日までで一度に最も多くの犠牲者を出したのは、14日に首都テヘランで起こった集合住宅の崩壊で、60人が亡くなり、うち半数が子どもだった。...
イスラエルが開戦数日でイランを圧倒　中東のパワーバランス、湾岸戦争以上の激変 | Forbes JAPAN 公式サイト（フォーブスジャパン）

1 week ago | forbesjapan.com | Paul Iddon

トップ経済・社会その他イスラエルが開戦数日でイランを圧倒中東のパワーバランス、湾岸戦争以上の激変イスラエルによる大規模な空爆作戦「アム・ケラヴィ（獅子のように立ち上がる民、ライジング・ライオン）作戦」は開始から3日足らずで、イランにとって戦略上の大打撃になっていることが明らかになっている。イスラエル空軍は一夜にして、見たところたいした抵抗も受けず、イランの軍事力のかなりの部分を破壊した。たとえイランの現政権があす消滅したとしても、失われた軍事力をイランが回復するには何年もかかるだろう。ライジング・ライオン作戦は多くの点から、中東の軍事的なパワーバランスを1991年の湾岸戦争以上に大きく変えることになると考えられる。...
Iran’s Cities Were Bombarded In 1980s, Today’s Attacks Could Be Worse

1 week ago | forbes.com | Paul Iddon

A plume of heavy smoke and fire rise from an oil refinery in southern Tehran, after it was hit in an ... More overnight Israeli strike, on June 15, 2025. Israel pressed its intense bombardment campaign on Iran on June 15, striking a defence facility and fuel depots as the two arch foes kept up their most intense confrontation in history.
Israel-Iran War Can Alter Middle East Power Balance More Than Gulf War

1 week ago | forbes.com | Paul Iddon

People gather on a hill to watch smoke rising in the distance from an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, ... More Iran, on June 14, 2025. Iran's foreign minister said the country would respond "decisively and proportionally" to a wave of attacks that Israel launched beginning in the early hours of June 13. The attacks targeted multiple military, scientific and residential locations, as well as senior government officials.
These Patriot Missiles Are Israel’s Trash And Ukraine’s Treasure

1 week ago | forbes.com | Paul Iddon

A Patriot missile launcher is pictured during the "Blue Flag" multinational air defense exercise at ... More the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on November 8, 2017. (JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesMIM-104 Patriot missile air defense missiles previously in Israel’s inventory may have reached Ukraine.
Decades Of Military Neglect Made Israel’s Deadly Iran Strikes Possible

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Paul Iddon

TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 13: People look over damage to buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli ... More airstrikes on June 13, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Iran's three top military generals were killed in the attacks that also targeted nuclear and military facilities, according to published reports. Israel described the strikes as preemptive to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the reports said.
Israel And Yemen’s Houthis Threaten To Blockade Each Other’s Ports

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Paul Iddon

An Israeli navy missile boat patrols in the Red Sea off the coast of Israel's southern port city of ... More Eliat on December 26, 2023. (Photo by Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP) (Photo by ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty ImagesIsrael attacked the major Houthi-controlled Yemeni port of Hodeidah using its naval forces for the first time on Tuesday.
Kuwait Upgrading M1A2 Abrams Tanks Long At Forefront Of Its Defense

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Paul Iddon

Kuwait's Defense Minister Abdullah Ali Abdullah es-Salim es-Sabah attend the Kuwait and French ... More Army's joint military exercise called ''Pearl of the West 2022'' in Udayri Region of Kuwait on December 08, 2022. (Photo by Jaber Abdulkhaleg/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesKuwait has recently requested an estimated $325 million in sustainment support for its fleet of M1A2 Abrams tanks, which have formed the backbone of its ground forces for over three decades.
How Armenia Might Respond To Azerbaijan’s JF-17 Fighter Acquisition

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Paul Iddon

An Azerbaijani delegate at an OSCE-organized event in Vienna threatened that his country will invade Armenia while the two countries are ongoing …