JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<script src="https://code.jquery.com/jquery-3.3.1.slim.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/popper.js/1.14.7/umd/popper.min.js"></script>
<script src="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.3.1/js/bootstrap.min.js"></script>
<ul id="notification_items" class="navi navi-hover">
  <!--begin::Item-->
  <li id="1f7cbbe4-2345-486a-ab66-b05601f033a9" data-notification-id="1f7cbbe4-2345-486a-ab66-b05601f033a9" data-notification-subject="Some Subject" data-notification-message="And some message" class="notification_item cursor-pointer navi-item">
    <div class="pr-10 pl-2 navi-link">
      <div class="navi-label mx-5"><span class="label label-dot label-lg label-primary mt-n6"></span></div>
      <div class="navi-text">
        <span class="font-weight-bolder font-size-lg">Some Subject</span><span class="text-muted"> - And some message</span>
        <div class="text-muted font-size-sm">3 hours ago</div>
      </div>
      <div class="notification_actions dropdown dropdown-inline d-none">
        <a href="javascript:;" class="btn btn-sm btn-clean btn-icon btn-hover-transparent-primary mr-2" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-expanded="false"><i class="far fa-ellipsis-h"></i></a>
        <div class="dropdown-menu dropdown-menu-sm dropdown-menu-right" style="">
          <ul class="navi flex-column navi-hover py-2">
            <li class="navi-item"><span data-notification-id="1f7cbbe4-2345-486a-ab66-b05601f033a9" class="notification_mark_as_read navi-link"><span class="navi-icon"><i class="fad fa-comment-check"></i></span><span class="navi-text">Mark as Read</span></span></li>
            <div class="dropdown-divider"></div>
            <li class="navi-item"><a href="#" class="navi-link" data-toggle="modal"><span class="navi-icon"><i class="far fa-trash-alt text-danger"></i></span><span class="navi-text text-danger">Delete</span></a></li>
          </ul>
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  </li>
  <!--end::Item-->
</ul>

JavaScript

$(document).on("click", ".notification_item", function (e) {
// you traverse up to the root ul, and looking if you are in a dropdown menu
	if ($(e.target).closest('.dropdown-menu', '#notification_items').length > 0) {
  	// You are in a drop down menu  
  } else {
  	// you are somewhere else -> trigger the modal
    alert('lol');
  }
});