News Digest — 7/22/25
IDF Strikes Hudaydah Port In Yemen Using Drones
The Israeli Air Force struck Houthi targets at the port of Hudaydah in Yemen on Monday morning (21st), as part of an operation dubbed “Long Braid.” The strikes targeted engineering equipment used to restore the port’s infrastructure, fuel tanks, and vessels employed in military activity and operations against Israel and ships in the maritime area near the port. Additional terrorist infrastructure used by the Houthis was also hit. The attack was carried out using remotely operated unmanned aerial vehicles.
Israeli officials noted that even smaller-scale strikes can be effective, as they help maintain the naval blockade on the Houthis. We’re hitting components they are trying to rebuild and engineering tools, which makes it harder for them,” they said. “This is a long campaign, not every strike needs to involve 30 aircraft. It’s about using the right approach.”
The renewed military action follows an incident Friday (18th), when sirens sounded across Israel after a missile fired from Yemen was intercepted.
Defense Minister Israel Katz stated: “The IDF has just struck terrorist targets of the Houthi terror regime at Hudaydah Port, forcefully countering any attempt to restore previously destroyed terrorist infrastructure. As I’ve made clear – Yemen is no different from Tehran. The Houthis will pay a heavy price for launching missiles toward the State of Israel. We will continue to act anytime and anywhere to protect Israel.”
The last Israeli offense against Houthi targets in Yemen took place roughly two weeks ago as part of Operation “Black Flag.” That campaign targeted three key ports: Hudaydah, As-Salif, and Ras Issa.
IDF Begins Operating In Deir al-Balah In Central Gaza For First Time Since Start Of War
Palestinians reported Monday (21st) that IDF forces have begun operating in Deir al-Balah, a city in central Gaza. “The forces arrived from the south,” a local Gaza journalist reported. As of now, the IDF has not confirmed any ground operation in the city.
A military source told Ynet that “forces are deepening the ground maneuver and are fighting inside Deir al-Balah.” According to the source, “Hamas operatives are under growing pressure – they’re being pushed out of the area, which proves they no longer have a firm grip. We are striking their infrastructure and command, and their control is eroding.”
The military source added that Hamas is heavily investing in psychological warfare, particularly through its ‘Gaza hunger’ campaign on social media. “As Hamas loses control on the ground, it tries to sway public opinion with harrowing images – especially of children – to generate international pressure on Israel.” Security officials say the campaign is a deliberate effort to provoke global sympathy while continuing to hold hostages and entrench itself within civilian areas.
One report claimed an IDF tank was seen on Al-Hakar Street in Deir al-Balah. Another report said two people were killed in a vehicle strike in the area.
Residents of the city also received a warning message. “Please avoid standing near windows or climbing onto rooftops, especially in the southeastern parts of the city – repeated gunfire has been reported in public areas, posing a direct threat to pedestrians and residents. We urge everyone to avoid gathering in open spaces and to remain indoors as much as possible.”
Deir al-Balah, located in the heart of the Gaza Strip, includes a refugee camp and has become a haven for tens of thousands of displaced people throughout the war. Its central location – between the northern and southern parts of the Strip – and the fact that Israel has not conducted a ground operation there until now made it a primary destination for those fleeing other areas. Nonetheless, the IDF has conducted numerous airstrikes in the city over the course of the war.
During the hostage release phases in January, some of the freed captives were released from Deir al-Balah. Footage from that time showed relatively intact buildings, in contrast to the widespread destruction seen in Khan Younis and northern Gaza. The city also has a beachfront and earlier in the war, videos of large numbers of Gazans bathing there sparked anger in Israel.
Deir al-Balah is believed to house a highly capable Hamas battalion, possibly the most combat-ready in the Strip. Until now, Israel has avoided a ground incursion, in part, due to concerns that some of the remaining hostages may be held in the area. According to military assessments, fully targeting Deir al-Balah and the neighboring Nuseirat camp would require deploying at least two full IDF divisions for several months of fighting.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces operating elsewhere in Gaza have reportedly stepped up the pace of demolishing structures used – or likely to be used – by Hamas terrorists. Military sources estimate that hundreds of buildings are being destroyed down to their foundations each week. The army says each demolished structure had been previously used by Hamas for purposes of surveillance, booby-trapping with explosives, or positioning snipers, or is assessed to pose a future threat for such purposes.
PA Condemns Jerusalem Food Truck Festival As ‘Cultural Judaizationn’
The Palestinian Authority (PA) has issued a fierce condemnation of the “Auto Ochel” food festival currently taking place at the Armon Hanatziv Promenade in southern Jerusalem, accusing Israel of using culinary and cultural events to push what it calls a “colonial agenda.”
In a statement released Monday (21st), the PA’s Jerusalem Governorate alleged that the festival is part of a broader Israeli effort to “erase the Palestinian identity of Jerusalem” and “impose an artificial cultural reality.”
The PA described the event as an instrument of “cultural Judaization,” intended to distort Jerusalem’s history and present the city as inherently Jewish.
The “Auto Ochel” festival, now in its final week, is a four-week celebration featuring food trucks offering kosher dishes from Jerusalem-based restaurants and renowned Israeli chefs.
Prices are capped at 45 NIS per dish, and the event includes live music and light shows, aiming to draw in families and tourists alike.
Despite the festive atmosphere, the PA portrays the event as anything but benign.
It claims such activities are part of a “series of Judaizing cultural events” that “promote false narratives and present “fabricated cultural elements.”
According to the statement, the true objective is to “give the occupied city a Jewish character” and “serve the Israeli colonial project.”
“These festivals are a cover for imposing a new colonial reality,” the governorate said, escalating its rhetoric by calling for “popular and international confrontation of these practices.”
The statement concluded with a defiant assertion, “Jerusalem will remain Palestinian despite all attempts at erasure and Judaization…these policies will not succeed in changing reality or erasing the collective memory of our people.”
While Israel celebrates the diversity and accessibility of events like Auto Ochel, the PA continues to reject any cultural activity that highlights Jewish heritage in Jerusalem, insisting it undermines Palestinian claims to the city.
What Does It Mean IDF’s Laser Will Be Fully Deployed Within Four Months?
In dual revelations on May 28 and June 4, the IDF and Rafael said they have developed three laser platforms to use for air defense, and that one of the platforms shot down about 40 Hezbollah drones last fall.
They also confirmed earlier announcements that the laser would be fully and regularly deployed by the end of 2025, which is now only four months away.
How will this change Israeli security and life on the home front? There are several aspects that need to be addressed to answer the question. The most important one, cost, has been the most covered so far.
Iron Dome interceptors currently cost Israel $40,000 to $100,000. Before the war, Hamas spent an estimated $300 to $800 on its cheaper rockets, with costs less well-known regarding some of the better rockets.
Iron Beam, Iron Bean M (mobile), and Lite Bean cost almost nothing, since each time they fire, it is equivalent in many ways to turning on a light with a brief burst of electricity.
Less covered has been how Israeli lasers will project greater power to intimidate enemies from even bothering to fire short range rockets and drones.
These lasers can shoot down threatening projectiles much faster and earlier in their trajectory, because a laser moves basically at the speed of light. They can fire multiple laser beams at once to provide wider defense coverage than one defensive shot by Iron Dome.
How motivated will a Hamas or Hezbollah terrorist be to keep firing rockets when he sees the rocket shot down just over his head shortly after it leaves its launcher and long before it gets into any position of being able to be a threat.?
Israel’s enemies have known that 85-95% of their short-range rockets would be shot down by Iron Dome. But they also knew some would get through, and they got to watch their rockets sail off into the distance, with the moment they were shot down usually being too far off for them to see.
This change of hitting the threatening rocket or drone much earlier in their trajectory could also extraordinarily change life on the home front.
If the lasers can shoot down the rockets earlier in their trajectory, there may be no need to activate the air-raid sirens.
The psychological war, in which Israel’s enemies feel they have accomplished something by getting two million Israelis to run into safe areas in the middle of the might, even if they do not kill anyone, could be removed, thereby decreasing the motivation for firing such rockets.
The Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 missile-defense systems shoot down ballistic missiles much higher in the Earth’s atmosphere, a place where lasers are not even close to reaching. Lasers lose their intensity over distance, especially if they have to travel through clouds and other inclement weather.
No one knows how long it will take to provide lasers that can shoot down long-range threats such as ballistic missiles, but no one is even working on that yet. Given how long it took to develop Iron Beam, a 10-year waiting period could be a realistic prediction, and a lot can change in a war and security in 10 years.
Even though with Iron Beam, each shot is cheap, producing enough laser batteries for it to be used on a large scale basis, like Iron Dome, will be very expensive.
Iron Dome was first deployed in 2011, but there was a limited number of batteries. The real number is classified, but over time, public reports have placed the number of Iron Dome batteries as high as 12.
How long will it take to produce enough Iron Beam batteries to cover what 12 Iron Dome batteries can cover? While it will probably take less than 10 years, it will also probably take more than a year or two.
Iranian FM: Enrichment Is Dear To Us No Plans To Stop
Iran will not cease its uranium enrichment activities, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed in an interview aired on Fox News Monday (21st).
Speaking to anchor Bret Baier, Araghchi declared the program a point of “national pride,” rejecting US demands that Tehran abandon its nuclear ambitions.
“We cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists,” Araghchi said. “And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride. Our enrichment is so dear to us.”
Araghchi also acknowledged that US airstrikes last month caused “serious” damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities, However, he declined to specify whether any enriched uranium remained intact.
“Our facilities have been damaged; seriously damaged,” he stated, noting that Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization is still evaluating the full extent of the destruction. For now, all enrichment activities have ceased.
Araghchi’s comments came a day after Iran announced it will hold nuclear talks with Britain, France, and Germany in Istanbul on Friday (25th).
Tehran faces intensifying sanctions and arms restrictions if it fails to reach a nuclear deal by the end of August. It remains unclear whether a future agreement must include the US or only France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The US is not expected to be part of the talks in Istanbul this weekend. The US strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure effectively ended direct US-Iran negotiations that were previously conducted via Omani mediators.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned last week that European nations will impose “dramatic sanctions” on Iran in weeks if it doesn’t end nuclear uncertainty and allow UN inspectors to return.
Iran recently suspended its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), following a 12 day conflict between Iran and Israel, which saw unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and significantly escalated tensions with the UN watchdog.
The Iranian government contends that a resolution passed last month by the board of the IAEA, which declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations, paved the way for the recent Israeli strikes.
