Dawn Dispatch // July 17th, 2025

Israel Update, Jerome Getting Fired?, Mamdani Fever, and More.

Hello friends! Last night we had a huge thunder and lightning storm that felt like it was happening directly over our little farm. And so, we lost power and I was unable to work on, well, anything. That’s why there isn’t an audio recording, and it also explains why this is making it to your inbox so late. Fortunately, the lights have come back on, and we didn’t lose any meat in the freezer!

Let’s jump into the July 17th installment of the Dawn Dispatch…

Big Israel Update

Strikes against the Syrian Capital and against civilians in Gaza raise instability in the region. Internal tensions rise amongst Israelis and the majority group in Parliament over mandatory service requirements.

On Wednesday, 16 July, Israel launched deadly airstrikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus, damaging a compound housing the defense ministry and hitting near the presidential palace, according to Israeli reporting. The strike, killing 3, was in response to escalating tensions between Syrian government forces and the Druze minority in the southern region of Swedia. Swedia is the mainland territory for the Druse population, an Arab sect of roughly one million people who live in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel.

The Druze community practices an offshoot of Islam, who pride themselves on remaining pure from intermarriages or converts of other religions. Currently, 20,000 Druze live in the Golan Heights alongside Jewish settlers, while still identifying as Syrian. Following the civil war, Sunni extremist forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad have participated in violent clashes. Al-Sharaa, the country's new President, vowed to support inclusivity that includes the Druze people, but recent efforts to consolidate and integrate armed militias of the Druze insist on maintaining weapons and independence.

As many of the Druze community (unwillingly) hold Israeli residency cards. Many Druze men serving conscription to the Israeli military in high-ranking positions, or within police and security forces. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is “committed to preventing harm to the Druze in Syria due to a deep brotherly alliance with our Druze citizens in Israel, and their familial and historical ties to the Druze in Syria.” Additionally, Israel declared a demilitarized zone in Syria in which Syria has rejected and called for Israeli operations to cease in the region. The strike on Wednesday served as a warning to Syrian forces to withdraw from the region while threatening to escalate further. Israel has stated their intention is to prevent any hostile actions from encroaching near Israeli territory.

Bottom Line: Israel is increasing tensions, not only with Syria and Palestinian empathizers, but the international community and its own citizens as well. Earlier this week, Israel struck several civilians to include children, at a water collection point in Gaza, a strike Israel claimed was an error in their targeting capabilities. Additionally, the Ultra-Orthodox Shas party announced on Wednesday its separation from the Israeli government over a dispute regarding mandatory military service. The demographic was a key supporter for Netanyahu, and their departure leaves a minority for the Prime Minister in parliament. Within the country, students around Israel have been using social media to make a statement to the country in protest of the Gaza war, proving an even more increasing divide within the country itself. Lastly, Israel announced late Wednesday evening, the military shot down a missile fired from Yemen following a string of multiple attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Houthis in an attempt to bring the Gaza war to an end.