Full transcript

[00:04.9]
Hi, I'm Zach Nelson, manager of the Global Insights team here at Everbridge and I'm joined by Zsolt Csepregi, our regional analyst for the Middle east and North Africa. Zsolt, thanks so much for joining us today. Hello. So today we're going to talk about the conflict in Iran which has already come to embroil much of the wider region.

[00:24.2]
So Zsolt, at a high level, could you catch us up on what's happened so far and what would you say are you know, some of the biggest, most important developments for the last 24 to 72 hours? Sure. So on Saturday February 26th the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran.

[00:43.2]
Now immediately after the initial strikes that also killed the Supreme Leader of Iran, Iran has used a massive region wide retaliation strategy, to try to promote its position in the military conflict.

[01:00.3]
And that meant that it didn't only retaliate against US forces in the region and Israel, but also launching a widespread missile and drone operation against neighboring Gulf and other Arab states including Jordan, Iraq.

[01:18.6]
And this means that we are looking at a very complex operational picture. So I think that the most important to note here is that Iran is now unleashed in the way that their Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is the force, it's not the army, it's much stronger than the Iranian army is holding the launch buttons literally to the missile and drone capabilities of the Iranian state.

[01:52.8]
And they are trying to push this war from them being attacked by the joint US and Israeli forces into something more region wide and trying to engulf the whole region into this war.

[02:08.6]
So actually this is a race against the clock. And what it's also important to note is that the Iranian Foreign Minister was who said yesterday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is acting independently and isolated.

[02:25.2]
So that means that that is the force that that is driving the escalation ladder in this conflict. And that's why we are seeing all kinds of impacts against Gulf energy infrastructure. Airports, civilian sites, hotels are being attacked by the Revolutionary Guard.

[02:42.5]
So while this is not the worst case scenario of escalating that the that the analysts were planning before the, before the attack, before the before this attack was launched after weeks of preparation.

[03:00.2]
But still it's a, it's a very critical, dangerous situation that we're having. Right. So let's talk a little bit More about, possible escalation pathways. Right. We know, Iran has a network of, you know, proxy militant groups as allies, right?

[03:17.7]
Hezbollah and Lebanon, the Houthis. And a concern that some people have raised is the potential for, asymmetric retaliation. Right. We've, you know, seen news of, of plots in the past, high profile assassinations, that Iran has been involved in in recent years.

[03:36.6]
What forms do you think retaliation or, you know, escalation could, could potentially take? So I would highlight immediately that what Iran is right now doing is already asymmetric because the US and the Israeli forces are targeting military sites, governmental sites, nuclear facilities, and the domestic, security forces bases inside Iran.

[04:00.8]
But the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is targeting, as I said, energy infrastructure, ports, airports. So, completely different type of set of targets than the US and the Israeli forces are targeting. So this is already an asymmetric conflict.

[04:16.4]
But referring to what you just mentioned about proxies, sure, the Iranian proxies can do, a similar, or follow a similar strategy that the Revolutionary Guard Corps is doing right now.

[04:32.0]
But what we have seen in the last days that Iran's so called proxies, and I'm saying so called because right now we're seeing that they are not real proxies because they are more worried about their own survival than actually entering into this war, in a decisive manner on behalf of Iran.

[04:50.4]
So Hezbollah, a day ago had, three rockets initially launched at, Israel. But Israel has launched a major operation in Lebanon and also now ground troops are pushing forward, in Lebanon. So Hezbollah doesn't really have a space to, to escalate much further, especially that the Lebanese government is also trying to, to, to crack down on Hezbollah activity.

[05:13.3]
I think the biggest question right now is whether the Houthis in Yemen will enter the fight because they can open an additional front threatening the Bab El Mandeb Strait. That means the Red Sea, transportation and, by that the, Suez Canal, the security of, crossing the Suez Canal.

[05:33.3]
And they can also open a southern front against, Saudi Arabia. But right now, after four days, they have not joined the war. They are probably afraid of additional forces allied with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates who are present in Yemen.

[05:50.8]
But that is the biggest, escalation driver that can happen apart from Iran itself. Iran stepping up, it's already asymmetric and region wide, retaliation strikes. Right. So if we look outside, you know, the immediate theater of operations, we've seen a, lot of protest activities, street mobilizations, demonstrations crop up all over the world really. Right.

[06:17.9]
In response to this, in the Middle east, in Europe we've seen some in the United States here. What's your assessment of the protest landscape globally? Yes. So the protest landscape is much different than what would have been a, year ago, because of the violent crackdown on the Iranian protest in January 2026.

[06:39.5]
So the Iranian regime doesn't really have a lot of supporters internationally. So we are seeing much less protests and demonstrations on behalf of the Iranian regime than what we would have if this war has erupted, would have erupted, a few months ago.

[06:59.8]
That said, there are not so much pro Iran protests internationally, but anti war type of, mobilizations. I think that these are right now very small scale. But they need to be monitored.

[07:15.5]
They invest on capitals and major cities. Sure. In the Middle east there are, I wouldn't say pro Iran, but more like anti American and anti Israeli protest from Baghdad to major Pakistani cities. Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Bahrain can be a significant spot in northeastern Saudi Arabia where these protests can happen.

[07:40.9]
I would say that right now the protest landscape is much lower than what could have been expected before such a major military operation was launched against Iran. That said protest can be a vehicle for extremist actors to carry out their attacks.

[08:00.2]
So that's why it's not the protests themselves which are the major threats. They can be disruptive, they can disrupt transportation, they can create some kind of a friction in downtown areas, worldwide. But the biggest threat is lone wolf attackers and also extremist small groups and cells using the protest to get close to their target.

[08:25.3]
Right. Well, let's let's turn to the cyber front. Whenever we see a conflict like this pick up, there's often someone accompanying cyber activity. What do you think we're in store for here? Should we expect cyber targeting of companies or infrastructure or government services?

[08:43.5]
What do you foresee on that front? Most of it's already ongoing and actually it has been ongoing for a month. So the cyber environment of this US Iran, Israeli Iran, let's say competition, but more like cyber conflict has been going on for years.

[09:01.0]
So what we can see is an elevated level of cyber threats. Especially as the regime forces are running out of other options. So what they will have is relying more on their missiles and drones and also trying to create disruptions in the cyber realm.

[09:21.6]
I would say that the most endangered areas of companies are on the two ends of the spectrum. Either if they are for example energy companies or telecommunications companies, and by attacking them, you can create a lot of disruptions and even threaten lives in for example even in the mainland United States.

[09:47.6]
The other end are more soft targets where you can deliver a message to the population that you want to influence. So I would even envision delivery services, apps on your phone being hacked in the coming days and trying to get some upsetting message out.

[10:08.4]
So soft targets that Since the most energy is going into defending critical infrastructure and all the it establishment behind that, so what the attackers will do is try to shift to the.

[10:26.8]
To the more soft targets but where they can create an outsized effect. Right? And going off of that. Let's talk you know, economic impact more broadly. Right? You know, fuel prices, supply chain disruptions, shipping risks. What do you think that companies you know, in the near term should be planning for and expecting.

[10:49.1]
In the near term, the biggest challenge is not I would say the actual damage that that can happen to the energy infrastructure in the Gulf, but the trust that this damage can be fixed quickly.

[11:08.4]
Since prices are a matter of trust. I'm paying a certain amount of money for something because I trust that even tomorrow I can buy the same thing. We can see that with the current elevation in the oil and gas prices on the world market, that most of the traders think that these disruptions are not going to be They're not going to last for months.

[11:34.0]
They might experience a supply chain disruption for weeks but not months and definitely not years. If that trust is eroding, then we're not speaking about for example in terms of the price of crude oil.

[11:52.6]
We're not talking about 80 or 100 US Dollars for a barrel of Brent oil on the global market. But we are more talking about 130 or even higher prices. But that's a matter of trust.

[12:08.6]
And I would say that right now, most of the market is assured that this conflict will end in a few weeks, four or five weeks or at least the main impact, and not longer.

[12:26.5]
If that calculation changes that, then that can create a spiral out effect on prices and that would create inflation and other Economic disruptions in the world market. Right. Something else we've seen is, a lot of airport closures throughout the region in the Gulf and elsewhere.

[12:47.6]
What are the top risk mitigation strategies that are steps that you might recommend right now for travelers who are either currently in the region or looking to transit through the region? Yes, I think that the biggest problem that after four days one can make with travel safety is thinking about the same mitigation step that everyone else is thinking about.

[13:11.5]
So we can often, right now, I would advise for any planning to go one step further than you would logically think that it's that it's required. So for example, if the first people who are booking their flights outside of the region would probably choose Istanbul, Cairo or Mumbai to avoid, the core Middle east region and the Gulf, go one step forward, try traveling around the world in the other direction if that's possible for you.

[13:49.5]
So, maybe you will lose a few hours, but you will save yourself much more trouble and disruptions if you're getting caught up. Not in the region, not in a war fighting zone, because that's of course the most horrible scenario where you can find yourself.

[14:05.0]
But even just getting stuck at an airport where other tens or even hundreds of thousands of people are trying to pass through, in a very condensed, time period as this war is unfolding.

[14:21.7]
Right. Okay. And yeah. So, lastly here, let me just ask you, are there any other, you know, mitigation actions that you might recommend to companies more broadly as we're looking ahead over the next week or so? Anything for you know, security leaders, operations leadership, teams.

[14:38.0]
Anything else, that they should be keeping in mind or thinking about? Sure. So I think that the most important, and this cannot be repeated enough times, monitoring, like being up to date with what's actually happening. This is such a quickly, developing risk environment that we are now seeing in the Middle east with cascading effects on the board.

[14:59.4]
I just mentioned, the whole, issue with energy, prices and you mentioned travel implications. So as these effects are really rapidly, radiating out, in the, in the region and beyond, that's going to create huge, disruption. So monitoring.

[15:19.3]
The second is have multiple plans in place. Have, have a plan for all scenarios. We don't know how far the escalation will unfold. It's the qu. This is a, again as I said, a race against the clock. How far. The Revolutionary Guard will have the capabilities to launch missiles and rockets at the region, and whether proxies are joining the fight.

[15:44.3]
So have a scenario in place for all these eventualities. And the third thing, and this is really important, have also a playbook for all of them and have solid communication plans who's speaking to whom. Once we see for example that the Houthis have actually joined the fight and they are trying to close shipping, in the Red Sea, and then what the company or the stakeholder has to do.

[16:12.4]
So have those three things monitoring scenarios and the playbook in place for the coming days and weeks because this is going to get long and it's going to get worse before it gets better. Zsolt Csepregi, thank you so much for joining us and for sharing your expertise.

[16:30.0]
Thank you very much.

Full transcript

[00:08.4]
Hi, my name is Benjamin Olson with the Everbridge Global Insight team and in today's rapid Resilience briefing we're looking at the sharp escalation between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the past 24 hours. Tensions have been building since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

[00:23.8]
Since then, Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of tolerating or failing to control militant groups like Tariq e Taliban Pakistan or TTP who operate in the Afghani territory and do carry out strikes inside Pakistan over the past year that has led to repeated cycles of violence and fragile ceasefires between both countries, including one recently brokered in last October by Qatar and Turkey that has now ultimately collapsed.

[00:52.2]
Over the past several days, the situation has intensified. Beginning on February 22, Pakistan carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan along the 2,600 kilometer Durand Line. Afghan authorities say they then retaliated on February 26 along the Pakistani border.

[01:10.3]
Pakistan now has escalated further by deploying fighter aircraft alongside artillery and ground strikes targeting military installations in Kabul, Kandahar and Pak T. Drone operations are continuing at this time between both sides hitting targets.

[01:27.9]
What makes this different than any other situation since 2021? The scope here? Pakistan appears to have now been targeting Taliban government military infrastructure, not just the alleged milita camps where the TTT operate, increasing the risks of sustained state level confrontation.

[01:46.2]
Pakistan Defense minister on social media has even described the situation as open war. The UN regional actors and other countries are calling for rapid de escalation at this time. However, however, fighting is still continuing.

[02:02.5]
Casualty figures do remain contested here as well. All we have is open sources and open sources do say 150 to 300 killed with possibly 450 wounded. But as of right now nothing is for certain just because of the volatility of the situation.

[02:19.1]
Civilian deaths are not reported in, only a few injuries. But once again we don't know. Everything is very limited. For most Western firms, direct exposure to Afghanistan is limited. The greater concern here is the spillover into Pakistan.

[02:36.2]
The Torqham border crossing, a key trade choke point between Afghanistan and Pakistan is being affected. There have been past claims of weeks and months of cargo being stuck at the border and that is likely going to happen too. Pakistan though is more integrated into the global supply chains which export textiles to North America and Europe, agricultural goods like rice and a significant share of world surgical instruments.

[03:03.4]
Escalation here also raises the duty of care concern for personnel in country. Air travel is another secondary risk. If airlines decide to reroute to avoid the area, expect longer flight times, higher cost and potential delays especially between the Europe and South Asia sectors.

[03:23.6]
Near term we are continuing to expect tit for tat strikes on both sides, possible temporary border closures and renewed mediation efforts. The key risk here is miscalculation particularly if strikes expand towards major cities or infrastructure within Pakistan.

[03:40.9]
So what should organizations be doing right now? Well there are a few things. Reassess travel and duty of care protocol for Pakistan, validate crisis communication and response plans, stress test supply chains and identify alternative sourcing where possible and review insurance and compliance screening and escalating triggers.

[04:01.7]
In short out of all of this this is the most serious Afghanistan Pakistan confrontation in years but it does remain regionally concentrated. Most western firms do not face direct exposure here though it does need to be noted that contingency planning is prudent for those with personnel or suppliers in Pakistan.

[04:22.4]
Everbridge and the Global Insight team will continue to monitor and provide updates as the risk landscape evolves and changes as this event continues to proceed. Thank you so much.

Full transcript

[00:05.2]
Hello, my name is Zsolt Chepregi. I'm the Regional Analyst for the Middle east and North Africa at Everbridges Global Insights team. Today I will outline the current state and immediate forecast of the U. S. Iran nuclear negotiations that are taking place in Oman as of Friday, February 13th.

[00:22.8]
The most significant new development, is that the US is dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and accompanying warships to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group already present in the Middle East. Thereby, it's significantly reinforcing its military leverage over the next stage of diplomacy with Tehran.

[00:43.8]
On the diplomatic calendar. We still do not have a confirmed date for the next round of negotiations, but Ovan remains central. Muscat is not just the venue, it's functioning as a container that both sides accept, keeping the diplomatic channel alive even as military pressure rises around it.

[01:00.9]
The main point to note right now regarding the upcoming talks is that both sides appear to be settling, at least for the time being, on discussing only Iran's nuclear program and what the imposed constraints and verification would look like. Tehran has framed the Muscat talks as a good start, but, also as a process focused strictly on nuclear terms.

[01:22.7]
Not its missiles, not its regional proxies, and definitely not its domestic politics. Iran has also signaled an openness to comprehensive nuclear inspections. That matters because inspections and verification are the foundation for any sustainable nuclear agreement guaranteeing that Iran will not be able to move toward a nuclear weapon from the US Side.

[01:45.2]
However, reporting out of Washington continues to suggest a broader ambition for the talks. Even if the current plane is nuclear, only the US May be interested. And it's also urged by its primary regional partner, Israel, to eventually expand the scope toward ballistic missiles and Iran's regional activities.

[02:05.7]
So what can we forecast? The most likely near term outlook is a month of tense calm as diplomacy continues under intense military pressure. This is in line with US President Donald Trump's stated outlook on the time horizon to achieve a deal.

[02:21.7]
However, there is a real chance of derailment if the scope, question, verification terms or sanctions relief sequencing becomes a hard stop for either side. For businesses operating in or exposed to the Middle east, the key risk channels are sanctions, volatility and any escalation that disrupts travel and logistics.

[02:42.4]
Additional sanctions pressure can create cascading compliance, banking and supply chain effects. And while a military flare up could trigger short notice airspace restrictions, maritime disruption and temporary travel interruptions, cyber risk also tends to rise during periods of heightened US Iran tension.

[03:01.1]
So organizations should maintain elevated monitoring, validate contingency travel and routing plans, and ensure that incident response and third party risk controls are current.

Full transcript

[00:05.0]
Good. Afternoon. My name is Christy Majoris. I am the regional analyst for North America here on Everbridge's Global Insights team. Today I will be giving a brief update on the situation at El Paso Airport in Texas. You've probably seen a lot of this in the news this morning.

[00:21.0]
So, late last night, the FAA issued a temporary flight restriction for a 10 mile radius around the airport. They, they cited unspecified security concerns and also stated these measures would remain in place for approximately 10 days.

[00:37.2]
And this effectively halted flight operations in and out of the airport. And then a few hours later, it was lifted. And this set off a flurry of speculation as to what had caused the flight restriction in the first place. Why this extraordinary measure of 10 days for a major commercial airport?

[00:56.1]
And in the immediate aftermath, there was sort of two competing explanations. First, that the military was responding to Mexican cartel linked drones which had infringed on US Airspace near El Paso. And second, that the FAA was responding to US Military training exercises, anti drone training exercises at Fort Bliss, which is quite close to El Paso airport.

[01:24.8]
And since then we've had a little bit more clarity and it has emerged that there's a kernel of truth to both these explanations. The military is indeed conducting anti drone training exercises, in response to the proximity of Mexican cartel linked drones near the US Border.

[01:45.0]
And the FAA is also concerned at the proximity of these training exercises, to civilian airspace, and in this near El Paso airport. And it seems that there was a breakdown in communication between these two agencies with the FAA not being able to verify, from the Department of Defense, whether these exercises, which reportedly involved the use of high energy lasers, posed a threat to civilian flight operations at El Paso.

[02:23.1]
So they took the initiative and went ahead and issued that temporary flight restriction. Since then, communication has resumed between the two agencies, hence the lifting of the flight restrictions. And though the situation has largely returned to normal, there are a few things that we would highlight, going forward.

[02:43.4]
One is this continued and increasing use of drones, not just by foreign threat actors, but also commercially, and also the responding training exercises that would, be conducted by the military or other law enforcement agencies.

[03:02.9]
There is this issue of shared airspace. These are all things happening near urban centers, and these are all things happening in shared airspace. This issue of communication becomes really, really important. We would highlight this short incident as illustrative of what happens when there is a breakdown in communication between agencies and just how quickly these disruptions can cascade.

[03:34.4]
Not only did this affect commercial flight operations, but it also forced the diversion of medical evacuation flights to other airports and caused quite a bit of distress amongst, city officials in El Paso because there was no communication there either.

[03:52.4]
So how do you plan for this sort of thing? Well, I will give the same advice that I give in all of these videos, which is to plan for the worst. Have a backup plan if airspace is suddenly closed. Account for the possibility that there is a lack of communication.

[04:09.7]
So have backup plans for supply chains and for executive travel.

Full transcript

[00:04.9]
Hello, my name is Wyatt Kinney. I'm the Asia Pacific Regional Analyst with the Everbridge Global Insights team. In this briefing, I'll provide an overview of the Bangladesh national elections coming up on February 12, 2026, with a focus on the political context and near term operational considerations.

[00:21.7]
To begin, here's a brief overview of the election. Bangladesh is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in a national referendum on February 12, 2026. The vote will take place under the interim administration led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus. The election and referendum are intended to support a return to parliamentary governance following political changes in 2024.

[00:43.2]
The pre election environment remains closely managed with elevated administrative coordination and security oversight. Turning to the political context shaping the election, the February 2026 elections are taking place under an interim administration. The current electoral fields include the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, also known as the bnp, the Jamaat e Islami Party and the National Citizen Party, also known as ncp.

[01:09.9]
Voter voters will take part in a referendum on the July Charter which outlines proposed governance reforms. International observation missions, including from the European Union are present to monitor the process. Next, I'll touch on security conditions and political activity during the election period.

[01:29.0]
Election periods in Bangladesh are typically accompanied by increased political mobilization, expanded security force deployments, tighter controls around key locations. In the current cycle, authorities are, have emphasized preventative measures, rapid response to gatherings, protection of polling related infrastructure.

[01:50.2]
Recent incidents involving political figures, have contributed to a more cautious security posture. Increased monitoring of campaign events and demonstrations. Current indicators suggest activity related risks remain localized, primarily in like urban centers.

[02:07.9]
Disruption is more likely to take the form of movement restrictions and traffic controls than sustained civil unrest. Urban centers, particularly in daca, are expected to experience the most noticeable operational constraints during the election period.

[02:25.5]
Related to this, it's also important to address protest activity and urban disruption. DACA has experienced public demonstrations and labor related actions in the period leading up to the election. In response, authorities have implemented traffic controls and restricted zones near government facilities during the election period, primarily from February 11th through the 13th.

[02:49.7]
There's a high likelihood of, you know, localized road closures, delays to public services, general movement restrictions. Briefly I'll address the terrorism and extremism risk environments. Security assessments indicate an elevated but non, a non specific risk of opportunistic activity during the election period.

[03:11.6]
There is no confirmed reporting of an imminent or coordinated extremist plot. Any potential incidents would most likely involve low complexity methods and public or symbolic locations. For most organizations, this translates to general situational awareness rather than a targeted threat exposure.

[03:32.4]
Finally, there are important economic and trade considerations to keep in mind. Bangladesh plays a central role in global textile and apparel manufacturing, including logistics. Short term disruption could affect inland transport, port operations and custom administrative processes.

[03:52.0]
These impacts are expected to be time limited and operational rather than structural. Regional and global effects would most likely involve schedule variability, not supplied loss. The outlook so looking ahead to the immediate period around the election, pre election period, during the election and post election so pre election period there's going to be an increased security presence and administrative control controls.

[04:18.7]
During the actual election period on February 12th expect temporary disruption to mobility and government services. Post election conditions will depend on administrative sequencing and political responses. To conclude the February 12, 2026 Bangladesh National Elections represents a defined operational period requiring planning and awareness.

[04:43.6]
The main considerations relate to mobility, scheduling and administrative pace. Conditions are best characterized as managed and time bound rather than actual unrest.

Full transcript

[00:04.9]
Hello, my name is Benjamin Olson, Regional Analyst for Sub Saharan Africa on Everbridge’s Global Insight Team and today I want to draw your attention to the tight post election environment taking place in Uganda where President Yoweri Museveni has been declared the winner for a seventh term.

[00:21.3]
The vote is over but key issues do remain unresolved. The opposition has rejected the results. Security forces do maintain heavy presence in urban areas and information access has been constrained for organizations. This is no longer about election day security but about post election risk.

[00:39.8]
In summary, the incumbent government has declared victory, the opposition is disputing the outcome and is calling for public mobilization on the streets. The main opposition leader Bobby vine, has gone into hiding due to security concerns. Fatalities have been reported alongside heightened rhetoric from senior security figures on social media.

[01:01.4]
Security postures do remain elevated and communication disruption tactics including Internet blackouts and social media restrictions have been put in place. The combination has created a controlled but sensitive environment where even a small incident here can trigger localized disruptions.

[01:20.2]
Historically based on Uganda’s past elections and renewal trends in East Africa, most likely path forward here is not a nationwide unrest, but episodic localized disruption that includes short notice protests, rapid crowd control operations and temporary movement and access restrictions.

[01:40.3]
These will likely persist for weeks beyond the election even as daily life largely continues. What happens in Uganda matters beyond its borders. The country sits along a critical east trade and transit corridor linking Kenya’s ports to Rwanda, South Sudan and the drc.

[01:59.2]
Even localized instability can disrupt regional logistics and cross border movements with most direct exposure to mineral trade including gold and copper, with downstream implications for manufacturing, luxury goods and commodity finance.

[02:14.9]
Agriculture supply chains, coffee and tea are also exposed to these delays driven by trucking, import disruption, potential border closures and communication outages. Disruption here does not need to be widespread to affect the global supply chain, timeability and reliability.

[02:33.7]
For companies, the risk here is operational duty of care, exposure of staff mobility, trans disruptions from checkpoints or security operations, community challenges affecting accountability and response, delays in logistics compliance, screening, insurance coverage.

[02:51.9]
This is where preparation will matter for future elections. The key takeaway from all this organizations should be have flexible movement planning, redundant communications, clear staff accountability protocol and monitor constantly urban flashpoints and trade corridor disruptions.

[03:12.7]
Uganda here is not an outlier, it’s a reference case building on patterns seen in 2025 for how elections across Sub Saharan Africa are increasingly shaping risks. After the ballots are casts in 2026 we’re going to have multiple African countries holding elections.

[03:31.9]
They will include the Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau Cabo Verde, Sao Tomen, Principe, Zambia, South Sudan, the Gambia, and South Africa. Thank you so much for your attention.

Full transcript

00:05.0]
Hey everybody, my name is Adam Deluc. I’m the Director of Risk Intelligence here at Everbridge. It’s nice to be with you today. Although, as I’m sure you guys already know, you know what I’m going to talk about. And it’s the first major winter storm of 2026. There have already been winter advisories and warnings going out to millions of people across the United States, mostly in the Southern Plains and throughout the mid Atlantic for, the storm that’s expected to develop later in the week on Friday.

[00:31.7]
It looks like the storm’s being fed by a lot Arctic air and combining with the moisture in the Gulf. It’s going to produce snow, it’s going to produce sleet, freeze and rain, and maybe most importantly, ice throughout the southern region of the United States. When it comes to timing, you know, Friday, the snow, the sleet, the ice are expected to start around the Southern Plains in the Mississippi Valley, moving east on Saturday as the storm kind of intensifies.

[00:55.3]
And then really the wintry, precipitation, and the snow in the mid Atlantic and the worst impacts are expected there, you know, throughout the day on, on Sunday. So it’s very early in the forecast, right? Like it’s only Wednesday. So, you know, snowfall totals are still kind of, varying based off, what models you’re following.

[01:15.5]
They’re talking about maybe 14 inches in a place like Nashville, or even 20 in Washington D.C. so we can see some major snowfall. But I think like we saw in 2021 with the, power outages, throughout Texas. You know, this can be very serious without the snow, with just ice, with aging infrastructure in a lot of areas in this country that aren’t used to hand, these kind of events, anytime there’s been ice and somewhere like Atlanta, you know, the emergency services, they’re just not prepared to handle these winter events like some places up north.

[01:48.4]
So, you know, we can expect major power outages and supply chain impacts maybe even lasting into next week. Obviously, human safety is going to be a major issue. It is going to be very cold. So there’s a lot of combinations going into this storm that are going to make it unsafe.

[02:03.8]
And the size of it, it’s just going to affect a lot of people and a lot of organizations. So organizations consider tightening their travel policy, obviously exploring redundancies and power and supply chain. And like I said, your people are your most important asset. What are you doing to keep them safe?

[02:20.1]
What kind of wellness checks and emergency communication plans do you have in place? For a storm like this. And then what messaging are you kind of telling your people before the storm? Make sure they’re monitoring the National Weather Service for advisories, stocked up on essential goods, their prescriptions, food, you know, generators.

[02:37.5]
If you have outdoor power, above ground power lines, you know, prepare for these power outages, maybe provide locations for them, alternative, locations. If they do lose power, where can they go to stay warm during the storm? You know, stay off the roads. Visibility and travel is going to be a nightmare.

[02:54.9]
Continue to monitor for these emergency management declarations and what they should do to stay safe during the storm. Then obviously after the storm they’re going to be cascading impacts. We talked about supply chain and power outages and infrastructure issues, but closers to transit, to schools, snow removal can be extremely unsafe.

[03:15.1]
So for God’s sake do that safely. You know, the impacts are expected to go into next week on this one, but you know, here at Everbridge we’re doing everything we can to take this very seriously. We have live layers, KML layers, updating constantly with new information, unexpected snow totals, warnings, live power outage numbers, emergency, management, road closures.

[03:36.2]
So all that’s updating live on our, on our site right now. Not to mention the strategic analysis that we’ll put into kind of some of the risk and vulnerabilities that might be exposed a storm like this and kind of what are the impacts moving forward and some potential mitigation strategies there. So we have you covered end to end from an intelligence standpoint, with this storm.

[03:55.9]
And we’ll continue to monitor and provide updates. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns or any safety issues with your organization too. I’m Abdelucca. I hope you guys have a great rest of the week and stay safe during this storm.

Full transcript

[00:04.9]
afternoon everybody. My name is Adam DeLuca. I'm the director of Risk Intelligence here at Everbridge. First of all, I did want to wish Everybody a happy 2026. I know it has been an eventful start to the year with what occurred in Venezuela, the Russian oil tanker, and now what happened today in Minneapolis.

[00:20.5]
So during a large federal immigration enforcement operation today, an ICE officer shot and killed a 37 year old woman in her car. Federal officials have come out and said the shooting occur while the woman was allegedly trying to run over the agents and the agent fired in self defense.

[00:38.4]
However, local authorities in some bystander video appear to contradict that federal narrative and suggested the woman was just trying to move her car when she was shot. Local, officials, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry, strongly condemned the shooting, called it reckless and called for ICE to vacate the city.

[00:57.2]
Protests obviously erupted at the scene. Some federal agents used tear gas to disperse the crowds. Now I am not here to comment one, way or the other on what actually happened, but I do know that incidents like these and the incidents like the George Floyd situation a few years ago can galvanize national protest movements.

[01:17.8]
Specifically in sanctuary cities. They increase the risk of civil disorder, especially where local leaders oppose some of the federal enforcement tactics that are being used by the current administration. One thing I've talked about many times and continues to be a major concern for businesses is domestic violent extremism.

[01:35.2]
Flashpoint events such as this can lead the lone wolf actors on one side of the aisle or another to take actions into their own hands based off their own ideology to conduct some of these lone wolf attacks that we've seen domestic violent extremists conduct, especially against federal, buildings or immigration facilities.

[01:56.5]
I expect there to be broader scrutiny of ICE operations, congressional hearings, IG reviews, probably moratorium on some of those raids. Just general discourse, on both sides of the in general, calls for restructuring and possibly defunding.

[02:13.1]
It's going to echo the situation in Portland back in 2020. But obviously with the higher stakes due to the fatality of the bystander today, this is expected to have a chilling effect on immigrant communities nationwide. Probably a reduced reporting in crime, some decreased civic participation, social fragmentation.

[02:33.1]
Regardless of the specifics of the incident, it's likely to intensify fear. And that is going to have an effect on businesses in a var different ways. Whether that's groups that offer aid to immigrant families, or just operational risk in specific sectors that rely on the immigrant communities.

[02:50.2]
And a big thing I touched on earlier is going to be the risk exposure to federal facilities and personnel, stemming from an incident like this. There should be an elevated security posture for those dealing with the Fed and around federal buildings nationwide following an incident like this.

[03:06.1]
So we're going to keep our eye on the situation, as it develops, continue to report out and provide forward leaning analysis. But definitely in the next couple days, due to the size and coverage of this event, you can expect, it to have a galvanizing effect and possibly lead to larger scale protests or civil disorders.

[03:24.6]
So we'll keep an eye on the situation, but, hope everybody has a good rest of the day. Take care.

Full transcript

[00:05.3]
Hello, my name is Christian Robles and I am the regional analyst for Latin America and the Caribbean here at Everbridge. Today we’re tracking fast moving developments of Venezuela following a major US military operation that has triggered political uncertainty, internal changes and broader regional ripple effects.
[00:25.7]
During the early morning hours of January 3rd, the United States carried out Operation Absolute Resolve. The strikes targeted military and communications sites and Venezuelan authorities later reported damage at or near strategic infrastructure including La Guaira port, where local officials said missiles destroyed warehouses and caused significant disruption.
[00:49.9]
According to Venezuelan and Cuban officials, more than 80 people were killed, including 32 Cuban military and intelligence personnel. Cuba confirmed the deaths, stating that those personnel were assigned to Venezuela under bilateral security cooperation and were killed during combat and bombardment.
[01:10.6]
The outcome of the operation was unprecedented. President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores were captured and flown to the United States. And on January 5th both appeared at A Manhattan Federal court and pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges while Maduro told the court he had been kidnapped.
[01:35.4]
From this point forward, uncertainty is the defining feature. US messaging towards Venezuela’s interim leadership has been mixed, reinforcing ambiguity around the path ahead. President Donald Trump has publicly stated that the United States could effectively run Venezuela until a transition is achieved, framing US objectives in a way that includes leveraging the country’s oil sector.
[02:07.1]
At the same time, senior U.S. officials have indicated that they expect cooperation from Acting President Delsey Rodriguez with warnings reported that failure to cooperate could result in consequences even worse than Maduro.
[02:23.5]
In parallel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to narrow that message, emphasizing coercive leverage aimed at producing democratically elected transition rather than day to day US Governance. Rubio has also argued that Venezuela’s next leader should ultimately be determined through free elections, particularly given disputes over the legitimacy of Maduro’s 2024 electoral victory, which the United States and several other countries never recognized.
[02:58.9]
Meanwhile, in Venezuela, the Maduro aligned state structure remains in place. The country’s judicial system directed Del Rodriguez to assume executive authority. She has publicly demanded Maduro’s release while also signaling interest in diplomatic engagement.
[03:17.1]
Also adding to the uncertainty, Venezuela has declared a state of emergency. While there have been no confirmed reports of curfews, the emergency framework increases the likelihood of movement, restrictions, communication disruptions and expanded security operations.
[03:33.8]
The decree also authorizes the detention of individuals accused of supporting the US attack, raising near term repression risks. On the ground, pro regime mobilization is already visible. Reporting describes pro government rallies, some involving armed participants, including groups known as colectivos, which are motorcycle based networks that have historically functioned as informal enforcement arms aligned with the state.
[04:03.7]
This raises the risk that even with Maduro removed, localized violence or parallel security actions could complicate any transition and keep security conditions in Caracas at the regional level.
[04:19.5]
Neighboring governments are closely monitoring border dynamics to limit spillover. While borders remain largely open, heightened security postures and the potential for checkpoints or inspections could disrupt Cross border trademark logistics and migration flows.
[04:36.5]
If conditions deteriorate beyond the region, the strategic implications are significant. Internationally, the operation is raising concerns about precedent. Even as Washington frames the action as law enforcement or counternarcotics, critics argue it challenges norms around sovereignty and territorial integrity.
[05:00.2]
If normalized, this could lower the threshold for other states to justify similar cross border operations, increasing global instability. For Russia and China, Venezuela’s upheaval represents a strategic setback. Both invested heavily in Venezuela as a key partner in the Western Hemisphere.
[05:20.5]
While condemning the operation, they may now seek to reinforce influence elsewhere, including in East Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As the United States signals renewed focus in regions nearby, we will continue to monitor developments closely, including the security environment in Caracas, emergency measures, border and trade implications, and evolving geopolitical responses.
[05:47.5]
The Global Insights Team Team will publish relevant updates as new confirmed information becomes available.

Full transcript

[00:04.9]
Everybody, my name is Adam DeLuca. I'm the director of Risk Intelligence here at Everbridge. I know I've been popping on these a lot lately, but unfortunately, things, continue to happen, that we need to highlight, for our customers and partners. Just last night, gunman attacked a Hanukkah celebration at a popular tourist spot in Australia called Bondi beach.

[00:28.3]
They killed 11 people in an act of anti Semit. And obviously there's been a wave of anti Semitism in Australia over the past years with vandalism and attacks, on the rise throughout the country. It's the deadliest shooting in Australia in almost three decades.

[00:46.0]
One suspect is in custody, the other is dead. It occurred just hours after another shooting at Brown University, where an individual who's still at large opened fire in a school building, killing two and injuring dozens of other students.

[01:04.0]
These are horrible and sad events, but unfortunately they continue to happen. Violent extremism, something that we've talked about many times, it is cheap, it's easy to conduct, and it's very tough to detect and deter. Once an individual is motivated by ideology or something else, they're very difficult to stop.

[01:23.9]
And I still think organizations are overlooking this as a threat. There are things that you can do to mitigate these risks. In spite of these being cheap, easy and difficult to detect, you can conduct vulnerability and threat assessments. You need to identify your high value targets and your high value events.

[01:42.5]
You need to continue monitoring and understand tactics, tradecrafts and procedures like vehicle rammings, especially around this time of year. For Christmas markets in Europe and other outdoor events. You need to leverage dark web monitoring and good open source intelligence so you understand the threat landscape.

[01:59.4]
You need to harden perimeters, control access. You need to randomize security patterns to make yourself and your security less predictable. And you need to enhance your partnerships with law enforcement. And these are all things that you can do to mitigate these risks and keep your people safe this time of year with all these high profile events happening.

[02:19.5]
So, I hope everybody stays safe and has a great rest of the weekend here at Everbridge. We'll continue to monitor and provide updates as necessary. I hope everybody has a great day.