Hanwei Global Security Intelligence
(This brief is for internal risk assessment use only by our company)
Middle East
(I) Iraq
Drone attack on capital of Kurdistan Region. On 12 August, Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq, came under drone attack. One drone crashed in the Suran area, damaging a residential building. A second crashed in the Harir area and sparked a fire. No casualties were reported at this stage.
(II) Iran
Ongoing maritime standoff with the United States. From 10 to 16 August, the maritime standoff between Iran and the U.S. continued, and U.S. forces struck Iran-linked vessels. On 11 August, U.S. forces opened fire on a Panama-flagged vessel associated with Iran. The U.S. side stated that a U.S. MH-60 helicopter fired two Hellfire missiles at the ship which “attempted to break the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports”. No casualties were reported. According to U.S. statistics since the maritime blockade was launched, 55 merchant vessels have been forced to reroute, 3 vessels have been disabled by force, and 2 have undergone boarding inspections.Iran responded that the Strait of Hormuz will only reopen once the U.S. fully halts hostilities, returns Iran’s frozen overseas assets, and accepts all Iranian demands relayed via mediators. On 13 August, the spokesperson for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces stated that the Strait of Hormuz is under Iran’s “full control” and no vessel may pass safely without Iranian permission. On 14 August, Iran announced the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had shot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over Hormozgan Province.
(III) Palestine & Israel
On 12 August, an IDF airstrike targeted a municipal maintenance team vehicle in northern Gaza, killing 1 person and injuring 5. The same day, IDF drone strikes and artillery fire in central and southern Gaza wounded at least 2 people and damaged multiple buildings.
On 13 August, an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza killed a commander of Hamas. The same day, Israel struck the vehicle of Abu Kamil, Chief of Police of Gaza City, on Rashid Road along the southwest coast of Gaza City, killing him.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health data released on 13 August, since the first-phase Gaza ceasefire agreement took effect in October 2025, IDF operations in Gaza have killed 1,261 people and injured 4,157. Since the outbreak of the renewed Israel-Palestine conflict in October 2023, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed more than 73,390 people and wounded 174,269.
(IV) Lebanon
Multiple sites in the south attacked by Israel. On 12 August, the Lebanese Armed Forces issued a statement saying Israel had launched sustained attacks on southern Lebanon in violation of existing framework agreements and international law, causing multiple casualties and destroying numerous buildings. On 15 August, Israel carried out an airstrike on a building in Ansar village, Nabatiyeh area, southern Lebanon, killing at least 7 people and injuring 3.The latest statistics released by Lebanon’s Ministry of Health on 15 August show that since hostilities reignited between Lebanon and Israel on 2 March, Israeli attacks have killed 4,342 people and injured 12,296 in Lebanon.
(V) Yemen
10 August: Mokha Port on the Red Sea coast of Taiz Governorate, Yemen, was attacked by Houthi forces, killing 4 government troops and 3 civilians, injuring 30, and damaging the dock and multiple buildings.
13 August: A government military base in Hadhramaut Governorate, southeastern Yemen, was hit by Houthi drone strikes, killing at least 3 government soldiers and wounding 15.
14 August: The Houthis re-attacked Mokha Port with ballistic missiles, killing 8 people including 2 security personnel and setting multiple fishing boats ablaze.
Saudi strikes hit Sa’dah Governorate. On 15 August, the Houthi movement stated that Saudi forces carried out artillery and missile strikes on the Razih border district in Sa’dah Governorate, northwestern Yemen, damaging farmland. No casualties were reported. Saudi Arabia has not yet responded.
(VI) Kuwait
Terror plot foiled. On 12 August, Kuwaiti security services foiled a “terrorist plot” and arrested one Kuwaiti national linked to Daesh (ISIS). The suspect had received training in explosive fabrication and drone operation and planned to use such means to attack a key facility within Kuwait.
Asia-Pacific
(I) Pakistan
Five terrorists killed in Balochistan. On 10 August, Pakistani security forces conducted a counter-terrorism operation in southwestern Balochistan Province, killing 5 terrorists including a senior commander. Four motorcycles plus machine guns, ammunition and other ordnance were seized.
(II) Kazakhstan
Attack in Akmola Region kills one. On 10 August, a stabbing incident occurred in Atbasar, Akmola Region, Kazakhstan, leaving one person dead. A woman was stabbed in the abdomen and killed by her neighbour at home. The suspect has been arrested and the investigation is underway.
(III) Thailand
Attack in Nakhon Ratchasima injures six. On 13 August, a combined stabbing and shooting incident at a market in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand, injured six people. The suspect has been taken into custody.
(IV) Bangladesh
Toxic gas leak at shipbreaking yard in Chittagong kills nine. On 14 August, a toxic gas leak occurred at a shipbreaking yard in the Chittagong area of southeastern Bangladesh, killing nine people and injuring many others. The cause remains under investigation.
(V) Indonesia
Earthquake kills 38, multiple injured. On 15 August, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck offshore near Flores Island, with a focal depth of 20 km. It killed 38 people and injured 13, including 2 Chinese nationals. Search-and-rescue operations are ongoing.
Houses damaged by the earthquake
(VI) India
Africa
(I) Nigeria
9 August: Gunmen attacked vehicles in Ofu Local Government Area, Kogi State, abducting 16 civilians. A joint search operation by the Nigerian Army, navy, local vigilantes and hunters rescued all 16 abductees; one local hunter was killed and one police officer wounded. On the same day, armed men kidnapped a farm owner in Ogun State and demanded a 500 million naira ransom.
10 August: Clashes between security forces and gunmen in Kebbi State killed 10 police officers and 2 civilians; 17 militants were killed.
13 August: A passenger bus was attacked by an armed gang in Ohimini Local Government Area, Benue State, and 9 passengers were abducted.
(II) South Africa
Mine collapse in North West Province kills 14, injures 8. On 11 August, a mine collapse near Rustenburg, North West Province, killed 14 people and injured 8. Preliminary findings indicate the fatalities were illegal miners working in an abandoned shaft when the surrounding earthen walls caved in.
(III) Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Ebola outbreak death toll reaches 2,061. On 13 August, the DRC Ministry of Health released updated figures showing 4,449 confirmed Ebola cases nationwide, including 2,061 fatalities. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated that the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is spreading at an unprecedented rate and may become the largest recorded Ebola epidemic globally.
(IV) South Sudan
Armed conflict in Warrap State kills 60, injures 50. On 10 August, media reported that two armed assaults took place in North Tonj County, Warrap State, on 9 August, killing at least 60 people and injuring 50. Armed youth from Unity State, allied with local tribal militias, attacked the Ariek livestock camp and two tribal settlements in Akok, Warrap State, and fought local residents. The South Sudanese government has deployed troops to the area to prevent renewed fighting.
(V) Libya
Eastern military intelligence chief killed in attack. On 10 August, Brigadier General Fawzi Al-Mansouri, Eastern Military Intelligence Chief of the Libyan National Army, was killed by a car bomb outside his residence in Hawari, Benghazi. No group has claimed responsibility.
(VI) Mali
Fifty militants killed. On 10 August, the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces issued a communiqué stating that a large group of terrorists launched a dawn raid on the garrison of the 23rd Infantry Regiment on 9 August. The defending troops launched a coordinated counterattack, retook control of the base, and over 50 militants were killed.
(VII) Sudan
Obeid, capital of North Kordofan State, was targeted by drone strikes on 11 and 14 August, killing a total of 16 civilians and wounding dozens.
On 12 August, fighting in Gissan town, Blue Nile State, killed 20 civilians and damaged multiple key infrastructure assets.
Statistics show Sudan’s armed conflict, now in its third year, has killed at least 59,000 people.
(VIII) Zimbabwe
Boat capsizing kills 84. On 11 August, a passenger vessel capsized on Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe, killing 84 people including the captain. The boat, carrying 119 passengers and 5 crew members, overturned amid strong winds. On 16 August, Zimbabwean President Mnangagwa declared the incident a “national disaster”.
Europe & Americas
(I) United States
12 August: A shooting at Northside High School in Houston County, Georgia, wounded at least 2 students; the suspect has been detained.
14 August: A shooting in Missaukee County, Michigan, killed 5 people.
15 August: A shooting at Virginia State University injured 5 people. The same day, a shooting in Lexington, Kentucky, killed 1 and wounded 4, including a 4‑year‑old child and a 14‑year‑old teenager.
(II) Ukraine
Armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues. From 10 to 16 August, sustained fighting continued. Russia’s Ministry of Defence reported that over the past week, Russian forces conducted 14 group strikes against Ukrainian military industry, logistics, energy, port and other targets using land-, sea- and air-launched long-range precision weapons and attack drones. Strikes hit military enterprises and logistics hubs in Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, plus military facilities and vessels at Odesa and Chornomorsk ports. Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 4,396 Ukrainian drones. Russian forces secured 8 population centres along the Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia axes.On the Ukrainian side, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian troops repelled Russian assaults on multiple axes this week. They struck 8 Russian troop concentration areas, 4 artillery systems and 4 drone command posts. Ukraine used Palianytsia jet drones and Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles to target Russian Black Sea naval bases, port terminals and infrastructure at Novorossiysk and Tuapse, plus an energy facility in Leningrad Oblast. Ukraine maintained long-range deep strikes against military, energy and port targets inside Russian territory.
(III) Russia
10 August: A large-scale Ukrainian drone strike hit industrial and civilian facilities in Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan, killing 13 people and injuring 39.
12 August: Belgorod Oblast came under Ukrainian drone attack, killing 3 and wounding 5.
13 August: One Russian service member was killed by an explosion in Crimea.
(IV) Canada
Bomb threat at U.S. Consulate in Halifax. On 10 August, media reported that the U.S. Consulate General in Halifax, Canada, received a bomb threat on the evening of 9 August. Police located the suspect vehicle in a parking lot near the consulate the next day and seized propane tanks and containers holding suspected flammable liquids. A 54‑year‑old male suspect was arrested and the investigation remains ongoing.
(V) Colombia
Powerful earthquake kills 281, injures 3,971. On 10 August, a magnitude 7.5 strong earthquake struck northwestern Colombia at a focal depth of 80 km. As of 17:00 on 13 August, the quake had killed 281 people, injured 3,971, left 379 missing, and destroyed more than 9,500 residential buildings. Search-and-rescue and damage assessment work are still underway.
Scene after the earthquake
(VI) Netherlands
Two attacks injure 3. On 10 August, a stabbing in the Spangen district of Rotterdam wounded 2 people. The suspect was arrested; the motive is unclear and the investigation continues. The same day, a stabbing incident on Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal in central Amsterdam, North Holland Province, injured one person.
Maritime Security
(I) Gulf of Oman & Strait of Hormuz
Multiple vessels attacked. On 13 and 14 August, three vessels belonging to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) were attacked while transiting the Strait of Hormuz; no casualties were reported. On 15 August, UKMTO advised that a bulk carrier’s hull was struck by an unidentified aerial object. The crew are safe, and no property damage has been reported to date.
