The tense situation on the Russian border due to Ukraine's attack on Kursk province, Iran-Israel tensions with great risks of conflict in the Middle East, Sudan... are some of the prominent international events in the past 24 hours.
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| The situation in Russia's Kursk province is very tense, as Ukraine has taken control of 28 settlements. (Source: AP) |
Europe
* Situation on the Russian border when Ukraine attacked Kursk: Head of Krasnoyaruzhsky district in Belgorod border province Andrei Miskov announced that the activities of the Ukrainian army in this area made the situation very tense, therefore, the gateways to this area have been completely closed since August 12.
About 11,000 local people have been evacuated to safety.
Meanwhile, in Kursk province, acting governor Aleksey Smirnov reported that Ukraine had seized 28 residential areas with nearly 2,000 people.
According to the update, Deputy Head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces Apty Alaudinov said that the country's forces " stopped the uncontrolled enemy offensive and destroyed Ukrainian manpower and equipment for the third consecutive day."
At a meeting with the Security Council and the Russian government, President Vladimir Putin ordered the Defense Ministry to drive the Ukrainian army out of Kursk province. (TASS, Telegram)
* Russian intelligence said the candidate identified by the US as a possible replacement for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is former Interior Minister of the Eastern European country Arsen Avakov.
In a statement by Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), former Minister Avakov is now considered a suitable candidate and Washington considers Avakov's strengths to be his close ties with Ukrainian nationalist organizations as well as his continued contacts with leaders of European countries. (TASS)
* Belarus has deployed mechanized units to the border areas with Ukraine to reinforce its forces. The Belarusian Defense Ministry announced the news along with a video showing a column of tanks moving.
Units of the Special Operations Forces, Army and Missile Forces, including Polonaise missile systems and Iskander missile systems, were tasked with marching to designated areas, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said. (Reuters)
* Serbia denies arms transfers to Ukraine: Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin denied a previous Financial Times report that since the conflict in Ukraine broke out, Kiev may have received ammunition from Belgrade worth about 800 million Euros through a third country.
“We are the only country that imposes a rule on our customers that weapons and ammunition cannot be sold to a third country without Serbia’s consent. We have added this rule and stressed it in all contracts,” said Mr. Vulin.
According to Serbian officials, there have been no requests from partners to sell the country's products to third countries. (Sputnik)
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Middle East-Africa
* Iran-Israel tensions: On August 12, the White House website announced that the leaders of the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy discussed the situation in the Middle East and expressed full support for efforts to de-escalate tensions and reach a ceasefire and release hostages in Gaza.
They also affirmed their support for defending Israel against actions from Iran and attacks by Tehran-backed groups, and called on Iran to withdraw threats of a military strike against Israel.
Previously, France, Germany and the UK (E3) also issued a joint statement calling on Iran and its allies to refrain from attacks on Israel after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran at the end of July.
On August 13, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a counter-statement, saying that the call for restraint was “politically illogical and contrary to the principles of international law.”
Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tehran was determined to stop Israel, calling on Paris, Berlin and London to “once and for all stand up against the war in Gaza” and Israel’s actions. (White House, IRNA)
* Israel raids southern and central Gaza Strip: On August 13, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said they attacked military targets and conducted raids on facilities believed to be hiding places for Palestinian militants in the southern and central Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours.
The IDF statement said the Israeli army “dismantled combat complexes, infrastructure” and killed militants from a Hamas rocket unit near the city of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza.
In addition, the Israeli Air Force also attacked areas where Hamas rocket launchers were located.
In Rafah, the IDF “found a large amount of weapons, including explosives, military equipment and intelligence documents” in an intelligence-based operation.
In the central Gaza Strip, the IDF “attacked terrorist infrastructure, including rocket launchers and sniper posts as well as observation posts.” (Times of Israel)
* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Russia and held talks with his host counterpart Vladimir Putin on the current situation in the Middle East as well as topical issues in bilateral cooperation.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov announced that during Abbas's visit, the two sides will hold important dialogues to jointly analyze developments in the region and agree on a coordinated approach to "establishing peace and security in the Middle East on a fair basis and in accordance with the decisions of the international community." (TASS)
* Lebanon is stepping up diplomatic efforts to ensure security in the south, according to Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Mr. Mikati affirmed that he is focusing all his meetings and diplomatic contacts on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, considering it the foundation for ensuring stability and security in southern Lebanon.
According to him, all Lebanese ministries and agencies, in cooperation with relevant international organizations and civil society organizations, will continue to take necessary measures and steps within the framework of the government's emergency plan, to cope with difficult circumstances and all possible scenarios. (THX)
* Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko made a surprise visit to Mali on August 12. This is Mr. Sonko's first official visit to a country in the Sahel Federation of States, which includes military-led states. (TRT Africa)
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Asia-Pacific
* Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Myanmar and Thailand from August 14-17, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
Wang Yi will co-chair the 9th Mekong-Lancang Cooperation Foreign Ministers' Meeting and attend an "informal discussion" between his Lao, Myanmar and Thai counterparts.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Myanmar "aims to deepen mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation in various fields." (AFP)
* The US-ROK joint military exercise “Ulchi Freedom Shield” will be held from August 19-29 to enhance joint defense readiness against growing external military threats. More than 19,000 South Korean and US soldiers are expected to participate in the exercise, with a total of 48 field training events.
The exercise is based on a comprehensive war scenario, including a major computer-simulated command post exercise, simultaneous field training and civil defense exercises, with a focus on countering weapons of mass destruction, multi-domain operations using diverse weapons.
Member states of the United Nations Command (UNC) will also participate in the exercise. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission will monitor compliance with the Korean War Armistice Agreement. (Yonhap)
* India-Sri Lanka conduct joint exercise “Mitra Shakti” in the island nation of Sri Lanka from August 12-25, focusing on operations in semi-urban environments, to enhance the military capabilities of both sides to conduct counter-insurgency operations in unconventional situations under the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission.
Participating in the joint exercise, India sent 106 soldiers, most of whom were from the Rajputana Rifles Battalion; the host country Sri Lanka sent soldiers from the Gajaba Regiment. (PTI)
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America
* US determined with Sudan talks: The US on August 12 affirmed that it will continue to hold ceasefire talks this week on the devastating conflict in Sudan, even if the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) do not participate.
Last month, Washington invited Sudan's warring parties to ceasefire talks in Switzerland, which are expected to begin on August 14 and could last up to 10 days.
While the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) quickly accepted the US invitation unconditionally, the Sudanese government voiced concerns about Washington's approach and gave no confirmation about whether it would participate.
US Special Envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello affirmed that the Sudanese peace talks will still take place and all parties are aware of this, but noted that there can be no “formal reconciliation between the two sides without the participation of the SAF” and therefore, the talks will continue to focus on “international and technical factors”. (Al Jazeera)
* The US has warned Iran after Donald Trump's election campaign accused a foreign adversary of hacking its documents.
“The latest attempts to interfere in the US elections are nothing new for Iran… We continue to have a number of tools at our disposal to hold Iran accountable and we will not hesitate to use them,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
However, he did not confirm whether Washington assessed that Tehran was behind the alleged cyberattack.
Iran has not commented on the incident.
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