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NATO's Rutte Says He Expects New Contributions to Ukraine Arms Aid Program

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte talks at the press conference during his visit in Slovenia, in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte talks at the press conference during his visit in Slovenia, in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic
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NATO's Rutte Says He Expects New Contributions to Ukraine Arms Aid Program

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte talks at the press conference during his visit in Slovenia, in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte talks at the press conference during his visit in Slovenia, in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, October 13, 2025. REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that he expected new contributions from allies to the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program, a Ukraine arms funding mechanism, in the coming days, Reuters reported.

He also said he welcomed US-led efforts to end the war in Ukraine and that he was confident that these would eventually "restore peace in Europe".

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces carried out strikes on at least eight Russian oil refineries last month, among 88 targets damaged in long-range drone attacks aimed at weakening Russia's war effort, a top drone commander said on Tuesday.

Robert Brovdi said his Unmanned Systems Forces, alongside other units, had carried out 108 missions in November and damaged critical, energy and military facilities, including power substations in Russia and Russian-occupied territory inside Ukraine.

Russian forces have also intensified their attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities, plunging towns and cities into periods of darkness as winter approaches.

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Pentagon Reportedly Weighs Diverting Ukraine Military Aid to the Middle East

FILE - The Pentagon and the surrounding area is seen in this aerial view in Washington, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
FILE - The Pentagon and the surrounding area is seen in this aerial view in Washington, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
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Pentagon Reportedly Weighs Diverting Ukraine Military Aid to the Middle East

FILE - The Pentagon and the surrounding area is seen in this aerial view in Washington, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
FILE - The Pentagon and the surrounding area is seen in this aerial view in Washington, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

The Pentagon is weighing whether to redirect weapons originally meant for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran strains supplies of some of the US military's most critical munitions, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter.

The weapons that could be redirected include air defense interceptor missiles purchased through a NATO initiative launched last year, under which ⁠partner countries buy ⁠US arms for Kyiv, the report said.

The consideration comes as US operations in the region intensify. Admiral Brad Cooper, the Central Command chief leading US forces in the Middle East, on Wednesday said the US had hit ⁠over 10,000 targets inside Iran and was on track to limit Iran's ability to project power outside its borders.

A Pentagon spokesperson told the newspaper that the Defense Department would "ensure that US forces and those of our allies and partners have what they need to fight and win."

In response to a query about the report, a NATO official said members of ⁠the ⁠alliance and its partners continue to contribute to its Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) program that funds the supply of US arms for Kyiv.

"Equipment is continuously flowing into Ukraine," the official added. "The amount pledged to PURL so far is of several billion US dollars and we expect more contributions to follow."

The Pentagon and the US State Department did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

World

Israel Defense Minister Says Iran Guards Navy Commander Killed in Strike

(FILES) This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official website Sepah News on February 1, 2025, shows navy commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. (Photo by SEPAH NEWS / AFP)
(FILES) This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official website Sepah News on February 1, 2025, shows navy commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. (Photo by SEPAH NEWS / AFP)
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Israel Defense Minister Says Iran Guards Navy Commander Killed in Strike

(FILES) This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official website Sepah News on February 1, 2025, shows navy commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. (Photo by SEPAH NEWS / AFP)
(FILES) This handout photo provided by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official website Sepah News on February 1, 2025, shows navy commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. (Photo by SEPAH NEWS / AFP)

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday that an Israeli airstrike had killed Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' navy.

"Last night, in a precise and lethal operation, the IDF eliminated the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' navy, Tangsiri, along with senior officers of the naval command," Katz said in a video statement.

"The man who was directly responsible for the terrorist operation of mining and blocking the Strait of Hormuz to shipping was blown up and eliminated."

Since the start of the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28, Israel has announced the killing of several top Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the security chief, Ali Larijani.

In recent days, Israeli forces have carried out several strikes targeting the naval assets of Iran.

Last week, Israeli airstrikes hit several Iranian naval ships in the Caspian Sea, including ones equipped with missile systems, support vessels and patrol craft.

World

Israel Reportedly Took Iran's Araghchi, Qalibaf Off Hit List after Pakistan Request to US

FILED - 09 September 2025, Egypt, Cairo: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference in Cairo. Photo: Stringer/dpa
FILED - 09 September 2025, Egypt, Cairo: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference in Cairo. Photo: Stringer/dpa
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Israel Reportedly Took Iran's Araghchi, Qalibaf Off Hit List after Pakistan Request to US

FILED - 09 September 2025, Egypt, Cairo: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference in Cairo. Photo: Stringer/dpa
FILED - 09 September 2025, Egypt, Cairo: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference in Cairo. Photo: Stringer/dpa

Israel took Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf off its hit list after Pakistan requested that Washington not target them, a Pakistani source with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters on Thursday.

"The Israelis had their coordinates and wanted to take them out, we told the US if they are also eliminated then there is no one else to talk to, hence the US asked the Israelis to back off," the source said.

Pakistan's ⁠military and foreign ⁠office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that the two top Iranian officials had been temporarily removed from Israel's list of officials to eliminate as they explore possible peace talks.

The two officials have been removed from the list ⁠for up to four or five days, the Journal said, citing US officials, but did not mention any Pakistani role in it. Pakistan, Egypt and Türkiye are playing the role of mediator between Tehran and Washington to end the Iran war.

Islamabad has maintained direct contact with both Washington and Tehran at a time when such channels are frozen for most other countries. Islamabad has also been seen as a likely venue if peace talks are ⁠held.

Iran is ⁠reviewing a 15-point proposal from US President Donald Trump, sent through Pakistan, to end the war. The proposal calls for removing Iran's stocks of highly enriched uranium, halting enrichment, curbing its ballistic missile program and cutting off funding for regional allies, according to Israeli cabinet sources familiar with the plan.

Trump has said Iran is desperate to make a deal, while Araghchi said Tehran was reviewing the US proposal but had no intention of holding talks to wind down the conflict.