Conflicting reports have circulated in recent days about Iranian Kurdish groups possibly being armed by the US to launch a ground offensive in Iran.

Many of these factions have long been exiled to the Kurdistan region of Iraq near Iran's north-western border and have felt oppressed by the regime.

The US-Israeli war has already killed many of Tehran’s top political and military leaders, presenting the opposition Kurdish groups with a window of opportunity, if they do decide to take action.

But the question is, would Washington back them and with what guarantees?

Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington’s objectives are not centred on arming any particular group. But President Donald Trump said a Kurdish ground offensive would be “wonderful” without confirming whether or not the US would support it.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, guest host Ban Barkawi looks at the possibility and risks of Iranian Kurds entering the conflict. We hear from The National’s correspondent Lizzie Porter and HA Hellyer, Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies.

Israel has begun a wave of strikes on Lebanon after warning residents in the south of the country to flee north of the Litani River on Wednesday.

The forced displacement order impacts about 250,000 people in 150 villages. That’s almost 5 per cent of the country’s population.

It marks a dangerous escalation as the US-Israeli war on Iran opens new fronts in the region.

It comes after Hezbollah fired rockets towards Tel Aviv and Haifa, prompting a heavy-handed response against areas of Beirut and towns in the south. More than 70 people have been killed so far and hundreds have been injured.

In today’s update report on Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the war’s expansion in Lebanon, as well as the risks of other parties being dragged into the conflict.

Almost 2,000 targets in Iran have been hit by the US in the first four days of the war.

US Central Command says it has severely degraded the country's air defences and destroyed hundreds of ballistic missiles, launchers and drones.

People in Iran, where the death toll is nearing 800, and across the Middle East are anxiously waiting for a resolution to the conflict. But US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the war must now take its course, without clarifying what the end goal is.

Is America’s war about the nuclear issue, the proxy project or even regime change? Some US politicians have expressed confusion over what the Trump administration’s justification is for launching this conflict alongside Israel.

In this update report for Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the US objectives in Iran and discusses the latest developments across the region.