All news: Wednesday 20 August 2025

US intervention in the Syrian civil war

American special forces carry out a raid in Northern Syria and kills an ISIS leader with the reported assistance of Syrian government forces. The slain ISIS leader was purportedly in succession to succeed as the caliph of ISIS's Syrian branch.

Israeli invasion of Gaza

Israeli defense minister Israel Katz approves a planned ground invasion to seize control of Gaza City.

Eastern front of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

A Russian MLRS rocket strike on a market in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, kills three people and injures four others, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.

Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure

Shortly after midnight, a Russian military drone explodes when crashing in Osiny, Puławy County, Poland.

Mexican drug war

The Guatemalan Immigration Institute grants temporary humanitarian status to 161 Mexican nationals, including 92 adults and 69 children from Chiapas, allowing them to remain legally in Guatemala after fleeing cartel-related violence in the border municipality of Frontera Comalapa.

At least two people are killed and two others are injured in a rockfall on the Égratz Viaduct in Chamonix, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.

One person is killed and 19 others are injured, including three seriously, after a migrant shipwreck is found drifting off the southern coast of Mallorca, Spain.

China–India relations

India and China agree to resume direct flights suspended since 2020, reopen designated border trade points and boost investment in their economies following talks in New Delhi between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Indian officials, including Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

International sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The United Kingdom imposes sanctions on eight individuals and entities accused of helping Russia evade Western sanctions through financial and cryptocurrency networks, including Kyrgyz firms linked to the ruble-pegged stablecoin A7A5. Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov has appealed to the UK regarding the sanctions.

United States and the International Criminal Court

The United States Department of State imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court judges Nicolas Guillou and Kimberly Prost and deputy prosecutors Nazhat Shameem and Mame Mandiaye Niang over their involvement in cases concerning Israel and the United States.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping visits Lhasa, Tibet, for the second time during his general secretaryship to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

2025 New Zealand espionage case

A New Zealand court-martial sentences a soldier to two years in military prison and orders his discharge after he pleads guilty to attempted espionage, possession of banned material, and unauthorized access to a military computer system, marking the country's first conviction for spying.

A man is detained on suspicion of murder after four bodies were found in the Seine river in Choisy-le-Roi, Île-de-France, France.

Mexico City mayor Clara Brugada announces the arrest of 13 people, including three alleged gunmen, in connection with the May shooting that killed her personal secretary and an adviser.

At least 19 people are hospitalized following a clash between Club Universidad de Chile and Club Atlético Independiente fans during a round of 16 match of the 2025 Copa Sudamericana