Updates on Recent Middle East Conflict Events July 16, 2025

Syria, Israel, and the Houthi in Yemen

Updates on Recent Middle East Conflict Events:

As readers of this newsletter know, I consider all of the Middle Eastern conflicts related to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent fighting in Gaza to be part of one large, multi-sided conflict.

Including:

Israel vs. Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthi, and Iran

U.S. vs Houthi, Shiite Iraqi militias, and Iran

The fall of the Assad regime and the subsequent violence in southern Syria involving the Druze. This is all part of the long-running Syrian Civil War that began in 2011 and has involved Israel, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia, ISIS, the United States, the UK (and other Western allies), Iraq, Turkey, and various non-state actors such as al-Qaida, the Russian mercenary Wagner Group, other Jihadist militias, and ethnic militias such as the Kurds.

Recently, violence in Syria resumed, with fighting involving the minority Druze community, with Israel intervening in a big way.

Also, the Houthi resumed attacks on Israel and on international shipping. Israel has retaliated, but the attacks continue. The U.S. in May, 2025, initiated a truce with the Houthi, and since then the U.S. apparently is no longer helping defend international shipping from Houthi terrorist piracy. This is, in my opinion, cowardly and shameful on the part of the Trump Administration.

Below is some details that I have posted in my NOTES section of the Substack app. If you are a ‘FOLLOWER’ of mine on Substack, you may have seen some of this information already.

Syria-Druze-Israel Fighting: Israel is stepping up support for the Druze minority in Syria as clashes continue between Bedouin militias, with government troops on one side, and the Druze minority in southern Syria on the other. Deaths are reported in the 250 to 300 range.

Question: Will the Hamas supporters who protest Palestinian deaths now shift to protest Druze deaths at the hands of the new Jihadist-based Syrian government?

Israeli airstrikes in support of the Druze continue (as of July 16, 2025), and Israel is rushing more troops to the border. One report I saw said that nearly 1,000 Israeli Druze (Druze living in Israel are Israeli citizens, and many serve in the military), are crossing the border to help their Syrian kin. From the Israeli government statements on this, this cross-border drive may not be authorized. Given that many Israeli citizens are military reservists with weapons, we can probably assume those Israeli Druze are armed. As of late on July 16, Israel says they have launched strikes on over 160 targets in Syria. This may continue to escalate…

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/16/middleeast/damascus-syria-airstrikes-intl

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-861252

Yemen/Houthi Conflict:

As the Houthi continue their terrorism on the high seas and their attacks on Israel (usually hitting civilian, not military targets in Israel), they continue to receive advanced weapons from Iran. A large shipment of Iranian arms was seized by the legitimate Yemeni government, as detailed in a link below. This also serves as a reminder that the Yemen Civil War (began in 2014), is still going on between the Iran-supported Houthi rebels and the Saudi and Western-backed Yemen government.

Here is an nteresting article on how Iran continues to ship advanced weapons into Houthi-controlled Yemeni ports. A massive shipment was recently seized by the actual Yemeni government.

If we know where the ships go (i.e. which Houthi ports), how hard would it be for the coalition naval force in the Red Sea to actually blockade those ports? Real question, not a rhetorical device…

https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154208/Iran-shipments-to-Houthis-a-masterclass-in-AIS-manipulation

Here is the news release from CENTCOM (the U.S. military command that deals with the Middle East) related here is the link to a news release about a recent successful intercept of Iranian arms to the Houthi.

https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/4246960/yemeni-partners-successfully-interdict-massive-iranian-weapons-shipment-bound-f/