Daily Briefing July 15 – Why is Iran attacking its Gulf neighbors?

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman on the logic behind the regime’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, an unexpected Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, and the pilot IDF pullout from Lebanon

With:

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.

Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today’s episode.

WATCH the full episode here:

There are at least 19 US warships in the Arabian Sea, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship with more than 1,000 Marines aboard. This threat — and US President Donald Trump’s renewed blockade on Iranian ports — is not deterring Tehran’s determined chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Berman delves into the logic behind Iran’s moves.

Adding further contextF, we take a look at Iran’s strikes on its Gulf neighbors and Jordan. What is being targeted and how is this conveying the regime’s message?

Next, we turn to an unexpected escalation in the Gulf: The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday in response to airstrikes they blamed on Saudi Arabia that struck Sanaa International Airport earlier in the day. What is behind this flare-up?

And finally, Rome is host this week to a sixth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon. On the agenda is a pilot IDF pullout from specific locations in southern Lebanon. Berman addresses the pluses and minuses of this plan.

Check out The Times of Israel’s ongoing liveblog for more updates.

For further reading:

US reimposes naval blockade as Trump threatens to ramp up strikes on Iran: ‘You better make a deal’

Iran’s strikes show its priority is flexing muscle on Hormuz, not dealing with Trump

After blocking Hormuz, Iran signals it could ramp up pressure and shut Red Sea gateway, too

In major escalation, Yemen’s Houthis target Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport

Trump said to urge Netanyahu to pull Israeli troops from Syria, Lebanon in recent call

Sixth round of Israel-Lebanon talks begins in Rome, with focus on IDF pullout ‘pilot’

Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple PodcastsSpotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and edited this episode.

Check out yesterday’s episode here:

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