Weekly digest · 10 August – 16 August 2026
Conflict Digest: Week 33, 10–16 August 2026
213 sourced reports across 33 conflict pages this week, from 115 distinct outlets. 2 pages saw no new reporting at all.
Middle East
Iraq
- Can Iran’s Strategic Capture of Iraq’s Telecommunications be Reversed?
- Iraq rejects sovereignty violations during security talks in Riyadh
- Iraq closes dozens of 'fake' PMU headquarters, but ambiguities remain
- Iraq intel and security officials visit Saudi Arabia after drone attacks
- Iraq sends top security delegation to Riyadh after drone attacks
- Saudi Arabia reaffirms support for Iraq's security, stability | Daily Sabah
- IRGC-Qods Force commander Qaani travels to Iraq amid pressure over militia weapons
- Iraq says September 30 withdrawal deadline for US-led coalition ‘final’
Israel–Gaza
- Kushner to visit Israel after Netanyahu rejects Gaza Board of Peace plan
- Jared Kushner may visit Israel next week for talks on Gaza, source says
- Are we thinking about the Israel-Hamas conflict all wrong?
- Kushner set to visit Israel, Egypt next week for Gaza talks
- Israel trucks out Gaza’s rubble to ‘hide genocide’ and ‘redraw the map’
- US judge drops Trump case alleging Harvard failed to protect Jewish students
- Israeli strikes in Gaza kill two people, first fatalities in more than a week, medics say
- UNICEF Gaza findings ‘completely shatters’ starvation claims against Israel, State Dept says
Lebanon
- After US criticism, Israel ties Lebanon withdrawal to Hezbollah disarmament
- Lebanon hasn’t okayed shortlist of countries to verify Hezbollah disarmament, official says
- Lebanon has not agreed to shortlist of countries that could verify Hezbollah's disarmament, official says
- Trump wants to talk to Hezbollah. Will they pick up the phone?
- IDF Working to Counter New Weapon That ‘Gives Hezbollah A Chance’
- Squeezed between Washington and Tehran, Baghdad hedges on Lebanon’s Hezbollah
- UK, Italy among states considered to verify Hezbollah disarmament, sources say
- Conceding in Order to Preserve: Hezbollah’s Possible “Hierarchy of Concessions” in Southern Lebanon
Syria
- Opinion | The U.S. acts as though it can’t see this Islamist movement-in-waiting
- Israel vows to keep troops in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria
- Israel minister vows long-term Lebanon, Syria, Gaza occupations
- Israeli defense officials weigh Gaza buffers, Iran threat and US pressure
- Mamdani's team said NYPD would accompany his wife on Middle East vacation — cops say that's not true
- Confusion as NYPD denies City Hall claim Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji will get police escort on Syria, Lebanon trip
- NYPD denies plans to accompany Rama Duwaji to Syria and Lebanon
- Former Syrian President Assad sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes
Turkey–Kurdish
- Turkey's PKK peace law brings hope to mothers, anguish to veterans
- Turkey's PKK peace law brings hope to mothers, anguish to veterans
- Turkey’s parliament approves a pardon-like bill for thousands of PKK militants
- Turkey Moves to Advance Peace Process With Kurdish Militants
- Turkey MPs back historic law on reintegrating PKK militants
- Turkey MPs back historic law on reintegrating Kurdish PKK militants
- Turkish parliament passes landmark law to advance PKK peace process
- Turkey’s parliament opens debate on a pardon-like bill for thousands of PKK militants
Yemen
- Iran-backed Houthis clash with Yemeni forces and other Mideast developments
- Yemen facing escalation from Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, UN envoy warns
- Yemen's Houthis say they attacked Saudi Aramco refinery in Jazan with two drones
- Will all-out war in Yemen reignite as the Houthis escalate attacks?
- Analysis • The Hormuz model moves to the Red Sea – and Yemen's Houthis determine its rules
- Houthis reportedly kill six in first deadly attack since start of Iran war
- Six Killed in Houthi Strikes on Red Sea Ship, Yemeni Government Says
- Houthi attacks in Yemen threaten new shipping crisis in Red Sea as Iran digs in on Hormuz demands
Europe
Armenia–Azerbaijan
- Can the ‘Trump Route’ in the South Caucasus succeed without Iran’s buy-in?
- Armenia 2026 Parliamentary Election: At the Dawn of a New Geopolitical Era
- Pashinyan signals openness to compromise with Russia over Armenia’s railways
- Azerbaijan, Armenia and the US have chosen practical results
- Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the US publish joint statement on anniversary of Washington Summit
- Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Plan Stalls One Year After Washington Breakthrough
- US, Armenia, Azerbaijan hail progress toward lasting South Caucasus peace a year after Trump summit
- US, Armenia, Azerbaijan hail progress toward lasting peace
Ukraine
- Ukraine live: Moscow shoots down dozens of drones after Nato jets scrambled in Latvia
- Putin’s recruiters scramble to avoid second mass mobilisation as Ukraine losses mount
- Russian ballistic attacks intensify as Kyiv claims Dnipropetrovsk advance
- How Iran Used Learnings From Ukraine War Against US Air Defences
- Putin Has an Unexpected Ally in Ukraine’s War: Europe’s Heat and Drought
- On the costs of economic attrition: A look at the Russia-Ukraine War
- Patriot missiles have been a godsend for Ukraine against Putin, but they’re running out. Kyiv needs help and fast | Jack Watling
- Ukraine war latest: Dozens of drones shot down in northern Russia as NATO jets scrambled
Africa
CAR
- Tapping into telemedicine to reach people in Central African Republic
- France opens disciplinary proceedings against ambassador to Central African Republic
- French ambassador to CAR investigated over claims he hosted dozens of women
- French ambassador investigated after reportedly inviting women to residence
- Central African Republic: Situation Report No. 80, as of 11 August 2026
- UAE’s GSU unveils 50-MW solar with BESS in Central African Republic
- EXCLUSIVE: Cuban Asylum Seeker Deported to Africa Without ID, Money, or Cell Phone
Ethiopia
- Is a new conflict brewing in northern Ethiopia?
- Media Warfare, National Consequences: How Ethiopia’s propaganda war threatens fragile peace
- What Another War Against Ethiopia Could Mean for Eritrea’s Future
- Sudan army says RSF advance on key town bordering Ethiopia
- As millions of children head back to school this fall, new IRC programme ensures over 150,000 conflict-affected children in Ethiopia access quality education
- How the Egypt-Ethiopia feud could upend Trump's plans in Africa
- Israel Somaliland Recognition: Two Conflict Zones Collide in the MENA
Libya
- Akinci UAVs deployed to eastern Libya
- Libyan Marshal Haftar's intelligence chief killed in Benghazi car bombing
- Libya reels from assassination, oil strikes and central bank turmoil
- Drone strike in western Libya torches a power substation, triggering outages
- Türkiye vows to strengthen dialogue across Libya under '1 Libya' policy | Daily Sabah
- Libyan National Army intel chief assassinated in Benghazi car bombing
- Obama called Libya his ‘worst mistake’ — 15 years later, North Africa’s military powers have spent over $320 billion arming themselves
- Libyan Killing, Refinery Strike Cast Pall on Trump’s Unity Drive
South Sudan
- 650,000 refugees in South Sudan could lose food aid within weeks due to funding squeeze, say UN agencies
- Today in Africa: South Sudan refugees face food aid cuts, Nigeria misses Women’s World Cup
- Sudan's RSF says it captured key town near Ethiopian and South Sudan borders
- AU names Truth Commission nominees as South Sudan civil society demands action
- Ebola outbreak spreads to sixth DR Congo province, Africa CDC says
- Transport minister tables policy framework in parliament
- South Sudan: UN mission decries deadly attacks, works to calm tensions after ‘nothing but devastation’
Sudan
- Sudan war: The West is accused of ignoring this horrifying conflict - and even taking sides
- Sudan army says RSF advance on key town bordering Ethiopia
- Sky News enters El Obeid: The city at the heart of Sudan's war
- Sudan war: The UAE's role in this conflict is under increasing scrutiny - and so is Britain's
- New Approaches to Address the Role of Gold in Sudan’s Civil War
- Mass grave with 25 bodies found in Sudan’s Kurmuk after army retakes town
Asia & Pacific
Afghanistan
- Afghan Women Erased From Public Life in Five Years of Taliban Rule
- Cover Story newsletter: Inside Afghanistan
- The Taliban has taken a terrible toll on the education of girls — and boys as well
- Afghanistan marks 5 years under the Taliban with safer streets but pleas for jobs and education
- Taliban Official Killed As Violence Flares In Northern Afghanistan
- Five Years On: Afghan Women Fight for Freedom
- FAQs: What it’s like to be a woman in Afghanistan today
- Five years after Taliban takeover, Afghan women ‘erased from public life’
India–Pakistan
- 'Threats Against Kashmiri Pandits Shouldn't Be Taken Lightly': Omar Abdullah
- From Pakistani flags on Aug 14 to Tiranga rallies: How Kashmir’s Independence Day landscape changed
- Kashmir Startup Gatoes Joins Qashier in Landmark Restaurant Tech Acquisition
- ‘Last local militant’: Why a 22-year-old Kashmir man has Valley on alert
- In Seven Years, Terror Claimed Fewer Lives in Kashmir, But Militancy Far From Over
- Pakistan faces unprecedented challenge from its Kashmir unrest
- Pakistan's ruling party poised to win Kashmir elections amid deadly clashes, analysts say
- PoK Crisis: Expert Warns Why India Should Guard Against More Kashmir 'Misadventure' by Pakistan
Myanmar
- Myanmar diarrhoea outbreak sees hundreds hospitalised amid flooding and civil war
- EU steps up humanitarian aid for Myanmar by €10.5 million as conflict claims more than 100,000 lives
- Myanmar Military Escalated Attacks on Civilians, War Crimes Ahead of Elections
- Investigators say Myanmar's military has escalated airstrikes against civilians
Pakistan
- Onslaught of Terrorism Tests Pakistan’s Capacity in Western Provinces
- Pakistan's Security Crisis: United Militants Vs Divided Nation
- Rise and Growing Threat of Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan
- Militant commander killed in northwest Pakistan's operation
- Pakistan says troops killed 10 militants and a car bomb killed 3 civilians in southwest province
- Pakistan Army says 18 militants killed in southwest
- Beyond the Bombing: What the Kabal Attack Reveals About Pakistan’s Unfinished War in Swat
South China Sea
- Philippine president says joint oil and gas exploration with China a 'distinct possibility'
- Six Paskal personnel rescued after left drifting in South China Sea during parachute exercise
- China's Fourth Type 075 Amphibious Assault Ship Achieves Combat Qualification In South China Sea
- Scarborough Shoal and the Philippines’ paper trail in the South China Sea
- Australia’s MC-55 Electronic Warfare Jet Has Entered The South China Sea
- Welcome To The Gray Zone: China’s Quiet Campaign Against Taiwan And The South China Sea
- Vietnam to build its biggest warship yet to counter China
- State Department condemns new Chinese claim to disputed South China Sea shoal as ‘destabilizing’
Taiwan Strait
- China calls Taiwan's annual military drills a 'wasteful charade'
- China's military is in 'NO POSITION' to invade Taiwan, Gordon Chang says
- China Calls Taiwan's Annual Military Drills a 'Wasteful Charade'
- China Criticizes Taiwan War Games as Military Tensions Rise
- Taiwan Wants to Know Why Indonesia Joined China in a Naval Exercise East of Taiwan
- U.S. urges China to halt military pressure on Taiwan after naval drill
- Taiwan condemns ‘dangerous’ planned Chinese navy drill with Indonesia
- China's Maritime Militia in a Taiwan Crisis: The Logistical and Regulatory Foundations behind a Maritime Quarantine
Americas
Mexico
- US and Mexico launch joint drills targeting cartels
- Influencers Are the Sinaloa Cartel’s Newest Targets
- Why are so many influencers being killed by Mexican drug gangs?
- Strong security presence at the US-Mexico border aims to disrupt cartel operations
- Powerful cartel in Mexico sought to buy weapons overseas in exchange for fentanyl and meth, U.S. says
- Tampa federal agents help capture cartel members
Global
Iran Attacks Us Bases
- Houthi attack kills six in Red Sea; Trump slams Iran as hopes for Hormuz Strait deal dim
- U.S. and Iran close to a "peace arrangement or a deal," Pakistan says
- Iran war latest: Trump claims control of Hormuz as assassination threat revealed
- How Iran Adapted Its Attacks as U.S. War Munitions Dwindled
- US strikes Iran-bound ship as mediators signal Hormuz breakthrough
- Trump signals shift to economic pressure on Iran over new military strikes
Iran News
- Live Updates: UAE accuses Iran of attacks in Strait of Hormuz as Vance says cheap oil and gas are "goal number one"
- Iran war live: US eyes ‘indefinite’ naval blockade, vows to isolate Tehran
- Iran targets tankers in ‘unprovoked attacks’ in Strait of Hormuz, UAE says
- Live updates: Iran war; no genuinely safe shipping route in area
- Low oil prices now ‘goal No. 1’ in Iran war, Vance says, as U.S. threatens new economic pressure
- Vance says keeping gas prices low ‘goal number one’ for Iran war
- Amos Hochstein on the Iran war’s impact on energy: Oil prices are not reflecting reality
- U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones as Iran war depletes arsenal
Iran Nuclear Program
- JD Vance Says Lower Oil Prices, Not Iran's Nuclear Program, Now Top Goal In War
- Vance puts cheap energy ahead of Iran nuclear threat as US tightens pressure
- Vance: Preventing nuclear Iran is the ‘number two’ US goal, after ensuring cheap oil
- From Nuclear Threshold to Nuclear Weapons? Reassessing Iran's Nuclear Doctrine
- 'Iran's NUKE Bomb...': Karoline Leavitt Goes NUCLEAR In Final White House Presser; SHOCKS Reporters
- Mossad Operatives Visited Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Site ‘many Times', Former Chief Says
- Yossi Cohen: ‘We toured Fordow nuclear site many times; Iran is far from a bomb’
- Ex-Mossad chief: ‘We walked around Fordow many times’ to understand Iran’s nuclear site
Iran Red Lines
- Live Updates: UAE accuses Iran of attacks in Strait of Hormuz as Vance says cheap oil and gas are "goal number one"
- Iran war live: US eyes ‘indefinite’ naval blockade, vows to isolate Tehran
- Iran targets tankers in ‘unprovoked attacks’ in Strait of Hormuz, UAE says
- Live updates: Iran war; no genuinely safe shipping route in area
- Low oil prices now ‘goal No. 1’ in Iran war, Vance says, as U.S. threatens new economic pressure
- Vance says keeping gas prices low ‘goal number one’ for Iran war
- Amos Hochstein on the Iran war’s impact on energy: Oil prices are not reflecting reality
- U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones as Iran war depletes arsenal
Iran Us War
- Live Updates: UAE accuses Iran of attacks in Strait of Hormuz as Vance says cheap oil and gas are "goal number one"
- Iran war live: US eyes ‘indefinite’ naval blockade, vows to isolate Tehran
- Iran targets tankers in ‘unprovoked attacks’ in Strait of Hormuz, UAE says
- Live updates: Iran war; no genuinely safe shipping route in area
- Low oil prices now ‘goal No. 1’ in Iran war, Vance says, as U.S. threatens new economic pressure
- Vance says keeping gas prices low ‘goal number one’ for Iran war
- Amos Hochstein on the Iran war’s impact on energy: Oil prices are not reflecting reality
- U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones as Iran war depletes arsenal
Iran–Israel
- Iran war updates: US says can maintain blockade on Iran ‘indefinitely”
- Israeli officials shocked by the speed of Iran’s military recovery after war, report says
- Middle East live: France presses Israel to arrest West Bank settlers over Qusra siege
- Sniper, knife, missile threats: Israel warned US of alleged Iran plot to assassinate Donald Trump
- US could not verify Israeli warnings of Iran plots against Trump, sources say
- Tehran says Strait of Hormuz "under Iran's control" after Trump threatens U.S. might "keep it"
- CIA had ‘low confidence’ in Iranian threat before Trump switched planes in Turkey
- Trump’s Iran Negotiations: Less Art of the Deal, More Art of Concealing Defeat
Strait Of Hormuz Crisis
- UAE accuses Iran of attacks on two ADNOC vessels in Strait of Hormuz
- Live Updates: UAE accuses Iran of attacks in Strait of Hormuz as Vance says cheap oil and gas are "goal number one"
- Iran targets tankers in ‘unprovoked attacks’ in Strait of Hormuz, UAE says
- 2 UAE tankers attacked while transiting Strait of Hormuz, and other news from the Middle East
- Iran war live: US eyes ‘indefinite’ naval blockade, vows to isolate Tehran
- August 13, 2026 — Strait of Hormuz traffic remains low as world burns through oil stockpiles
- Hormuz traffic slows further after US threatens more economic pressure on Iran
- Major oil slick washes up on Iran coast after Hormuz ship strike
No new reporting this week
2 tracked pages saw no new item in 7+ days. A gap here means the newswire went quiet, which is not the same as the conflict going quiet — under-covered wars are exactly where coverage and reality diverge.
How this page is built
Every figure here is counted from the reports listed on this page. Headlines come from the newswire feed that updates this site every eight hours; each links to the original and carries its outlet and date. No part of this digest is written by a model, and it makes no claim about what any conflict means or where it is heading — for that, read the background briefings or the individual theater pages.
Deliberately absent: any “most reported” ranking. The news feed keeps only the eight most recent items per theater, so such a ranking would measure that cap rather than the world. Reporting volume is not conflict intensity in any case — coverage tracks editorial attention, which is why the quiet list above is the more useful half of this page.
Sources this week included Al Jazeera, Reuters, Fox News, CBS News, The Independent, The Washington Post.