Rapid Alerts

GULF OF OMAN / BAB EL-MANDEB — Two commercial vessels were struck on August 11 in separate incidents confirmed by both the Joint Maritime Information Center and United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

In the Gulf of Oman, the container ship Vela Nova was hit by a missile fired from a helicopter. The vessel was 71 nautical miles from the Pakistani coast when the strike occurred. The master reported damage to the stern and steering compartment.

NORTH AMERICA — On August 8 the National Interagency Fire Center said 97 large fires remained under containment efforts across the United States, with 83 new fires and 9 new large fires recorded in the preceding 24 hours, while British Columbia authorities stated a provincial state of emergency after the Bald Range fire forced the evacuation of the District of Summerland and surrounding areas.

The U.S. total of personnel assigned stood at 30,636, including 661 crews, 1,856 engines and 204 helicopters, according to the National Interagency Fire Center National Fire News of August 8. Twenty-six complex incident management teams and one national incident management organization were committed.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ — UK Maritime Trade Operations reported that a vessel was struck by an unknown projectile approximately 18 nautical miles (33 km) east of Khasab, Oman, on August 8. The impact caused a fire that was extinguished.

The vessel and crew were reported safe, with no environmental impact. Authorities are investigating. Vessels were advised to transit with caution and report suspicious activity.

YEMEN / RED SEA / STRAIT OF HORMUZ — The U.S. Mission to Yemen stated on August 6 that it expresses deepest condolences to the families of the Yemeni soldiers killed that day in Hadhramawt and Marib.

The mission attributed the attacks to the Iran-backed Houthis and described them as another example of their terrorism against the Yemeni people. It wished the wounded a speedy recovery.

MIDDLE EAST — On August 3 at 10:00 PM UTC, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles northeast of Al Khasab, Oman, in which a cargo vessel broadcast on VHF Channel 16 that it had been hit by an unknown projectile. Authorities are investigating. Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity. 

The position lies in the approaches to the Strait of Hormuz off Oman’s Musandam Peninsula. Al Khasab coordinates are approximately 26.18 N, 56.25 E.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ — UK Maritime Trade Operations issued Advisory 103-26 on August 2 reporting an incident approximately 20 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman.

At 8:37 p.m. UTC on August 2 the master (Captain) of a tanker reported hearing an explosion in close proximity of the vessel. 

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State on August 1 advised Americans currently in the Middle East to exercise caution and heightened vigilance and to prepare for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions.

Some airlines in the region have postponed resumption of earlier flight schedules; others have cancelled some routes.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Environmental Protection Agency issued Public Service Announcement I-073026-PSA on July 30 stating that malicious cyber actors have conducted cyber attacks against Operational Technology devices, specifically Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley MicroLogix 1100 and 1400 series Programmable Logic Controllers, in the Water and Wastewater Sector.

Since July 27, utility companies in at least seven states have reported incidents to the FBI, with some of the activity degrading water operations. After remotely accessing internet-facing devices, the actors changed IP addresses and passwords, producing a loss of monitoring and control functionality.

MIDDLE EAST — The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on July 30 again claimed full control of the Strait of Hormuz and said two oil tankers that tried an unauthorized route turned back after a fire broke out on one of them. 

The same day Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates condemned continued UAV attacks by Iran-affiliated militias operating from Iraqi territory against Saudi oil facilities in the Eastern Region.

MIDDLE EAST — On July 29, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that five Iranian rockets traveling 8,500 miles per hour had been knocked down the previous night and that U.S. forces would hit Iran very hard in response.

U.S. Central Command confirmed that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran at 5:45 p.m. ET on July 28 in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East, with all missiles successfully intercepted and U.S. forces remaining at a high state of readiness.

MIDDLE EAST — On July 28, U.S. Central Command and the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces conducted precision strikes against Iran-aligned terrorists that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directed to attack U.S. forces and Saudi energy infrastructure.

U.S. and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours.

MIDDLE EAST — On Saturday afternoon, Coalition forces intercepted and shot down an explosive-laden drone over Erbil at approximately 3:20 p.m. local time, according to information obtained by Kurdistan24 (KRG state-run media). No casualties or material damage were immediately reported.

The interception occurred one day after the Kurdistan Region’s Counter-Terrorism Service announced that Coalition forces destroyed five explosive-laden drones over Erbil between 9:32 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. local time. 

ROMANIA — On July 25 at 08:22, the radar surveillance systems of the Romanian Ministry of Defense detected a new unauthorized incursion into national airspace by a drone operating in the border area with Ukraine.

Two F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, on duty in the Air Policing combat service, intercepted the aerial target and carried out standard identification and engagement procedures, according to the ministry.

MIDDLE EAST — U.S. Central Command started the 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets at 6:45 p.m. ET on July 23 and completed them at 9 p.m. ET the same day. 

U.S. forces targeted Iranian military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities.