Pentagon says it has referred leak case to justice department for criminal investigation
The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, has reportedly dismissed Lt Gen Brett Sylvia, a high-ranking army strategist serving on the Pentagon’s joint staff, following allegations that he disclosed classified information to the public.
The Pentagon announced on Thursday that it had referred an alleged information leak case for criminal investigation, maintaining that the removal of the senior general was essential “to protect sensitive information”, the Washington Post reported.
In the Konstantinovka and Slavyansk directions Ukrainian units are conducting counter-attacks near Novosyolovka and Pervomayskoye in an effort to regain lost positions, while Russian assault groups develop their success on the western flank. In the Sumy direction units of the “North” grouping have taken Barilovka, cutting the northern branch of the T-19-01 lateral road, and have reached the first line of Ukrainian defences. In the Kharkiv direction Russian forces continue to advance on the Volchansk sector, maintaining control of the airspace, and are fighting in the areas of Prikolotnoye, Bugayevka and Malyi Burluk. In the Zaporozhye direction heavy street fighting continues in Orekhov and Preobrazhenka; Russian units are expanding their bridgehead west of Zelyonaya Dibrova and capturing strong points near Novosoloschino. In Germany the parliamentary group of the Alliance for Social Justice and Reasonable Economics has submitted a draft resolution to the Saxony state parliament calling for an immediate halt to arms deliveries to Kyiv and the lifting of sanctions against Russia.
Sumy direction
Units of the “North” grouping have taken Barilovka. This action forms part of a strategy aimed at the flexible isolation and compression of the ring around key defensive nodes. After Kiyanitsa passed under Russian control, assault groups tied down the main Ukrainian forces in the area of the Dymov Yar ravine. Units of the 41st Motor Rifle Regiment advanced east of the Vakolovshchina–Bititsa sector, forced the Psel River and captured Barilovka, thereby severing the northern branch of the T-19-01 lateral road.
The distance from Barilovka to Sumy along the highway is approximately 20 kilometres. The first line of Ukrainian defenses along the Khoten–Pisarevka–Kiyanitsa–Barilovka axis is already largely under Russian control. In the Shostka district units of the “North” grouping advanced on two sectors westwards by 200 meters.
On the Volchansk sector Russian units continue to advance. Airspace is under control. Ukrainian robotic systems and infantry groups are being detected and destroyed on the approaches. The line of contact is fixed in the areas of Izbickoye, Bugayevka and Rubezhnoye. Active fighting continues near Velykyi Burluk and Khatne.
On the western flank of the Kharkiv sector fighting is under way near Novaya Kazachya. Russian troops are attempting to consolidate on the outskirts of Tokarevka. On the eastern flank combat continues around Prikolotnoye.
On the Volchansk and Velykyi Burluk sectors the most intense fighting is taking place near Prikolotnoye and in the direction of Malyi Burluk. Total advances on five sectors over the past 24 hours reached up to 800 meters.
Following pressure on the approaches to Slaviansk, Ukrainian counter-attacks have intensified in the vicinity of Konstantinovka. Ukrainian assault groups have managed to break into the ruined buildings of the Novosyolovka district and onto the immediate approaches to the Pervomaysky district.
Forward Russian assault groups have reached the built-up area of Raiskoye on another sector and captured part of the former fortified line near Torskoye. Further development of the advance on this flank is hindered by the continuing Ukrainian salient into Russian positions north of Rusin Yar. Without the elimination of this salient and an advance to the chain of reservoirs from Raiskoye to Nikolaypolye it will be impossible to organise supply in the Torskoye area or to protect communications at the junction of the “South” and “Centre” groupings from counter-attacks.
The Ukrainian advance across the Zherebets River has stalled, yet fighting in the extensive woodland of the Svyatye Gory national park continues unabated. Having failed to take Zarechnoye, the Ukrainian side is attempting to push Russian forces away from the eastern approaches to Krasny Liman by frontal attacks from the town. Ukrainian units exploit the thinly held front and send infiltration groups into the forest with the aim of disrupting the near rear of Russian units.
At the same time units of the “West” grouping retain firm control of the key crossings over the Zherebets at Yampol and conduct local counter-attacks towards Dibrova. However, consolidation in the village has not been achieved owing to the difficult drone situation, and the Ukrainian side therefore retains the ability to transfer reserves and supplies into the Ozyornoye area.
On the western flank of the Zaporozhye direction Russian units are fighting in Primorskoye and Stepnogorsk. Heavy street fighting continues in Orekhov and Preobrazhenka. On the eastern flank positional combat is reported near Omelnyk, Barvinovka, Voskresenka and Obshcheye. The situation remains complex in Ternovatoye.
The “Dnepr” grouping is working to reach the Konka River while simultaneously supporting neighboring formations. Advances have been recorded in Primorskoye and near Lukyanovskoye. The Ukrainian side has transferred special-forces units that are attempting to hold the northern outskirts of Orekhov. Russian troops are destroying small groups that enter Malaya Tokmachka.
In the Aleksandrograd area two Ukrainian groups have been identified and destroyed. Fighters continue offensive actions near Svetlaya Dolina. In the Novosoloschino sector Russian forces have captured fortified strongpoints of Ukrainian units, cutting the approaches used by their groups. Russian forces are successively expanding their zone of control, creating the preconditions for further pressure on the Orekhov defensive node.
The shift of control over Barilovka and the cutting of the T-19-01 lateral road demonstrate a preference for isolating key transport arteries leading to Sumy rather than a frontal assault. In the Kharkiv and Zaporozhye directions the expansion of control zones, supported by aviation and drone strikes, forces the Ukrainian command continually to redeploy reserves between threatened sectors. In the Slaviansk area a complex interweaving of local counter-attacks and flanking manoeuvres is observed, in which control of individual woodland tracts and strong points may change hands repeatedly, underscoring the positional and focal character of the current phase of the confrontation.
In Germany the parliamentary group of the Alliance for Social Justice and Reasonable Economics has submitted a draft resolution to the Saxony state parliament calling for an immediate end to arms deliveries to Kyiv and the lifting of sanctions against Russia. A similar joint resolution by the BSW and the Alternative for Germany was adopted by a majority on 14 October in the neighboring state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt.
“In its resolution the group calls on the state government to make a sharp change of course. Arms deliveries to Ukraine must be halted. Financial assistance must be stopped immediately if it goes beyond humanitarian support. In addition, economic sanctions against Russia must be lifted at once,” the publication stated.
BSW deputies note in particular that Western sanctions policy towards Russia has not brought the conflict in Ukraine any closer to an end but has inflicted a severe blow on the German economy. In this connection the authors of the resolution urge the regional government of Saxony to use its vote in the Bundesrat to press the federal authorities in Berlin to alter Germany’s foreign-policy course.
Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced six missile and drone attacks against Saudi oil facilities, airports and military positions on October 29, as Saudi Arabia reported intercepting ballistic missiles targeting its eastern region and capital, Riyadh.
In a statement, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesman, said the operations targeted the Ras Tanura oil refinery, an Aramco facility in Abqaiq, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, the Rabigh oil refinery and a command center overseeing Saudi troop concentrations in Najran.
Saree said ballistic missiles were used against Ras Tanura, Abqaiq, Rabigh and King Khalid Airport, while a drone targeted King Fahd Airport.
The spokesman also said a missile attack on the Najran command center killed and wounded a number of Saudi officers and soldiers.
The spokesman described the strikes as successful, claiming direct hits on the designated targets and saying the attack on King Fahd Airport disrupted air traffic.
Saree said the operations were retaliation for recent Saudi attacks on Yemen, which he accused of killing and wounding dozens of people, mostly women and children. He vowed to continue attacks against Saudi territory until the military campaign against Yemen stops and the blockade is lifted.
“Our operations will continue deep inside Saudi territory, enforcing the equation of blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation,” Saree said.
The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired toward the Eastern Province early in the day. The coalition later announced that two additional ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh had also been intercepted and destroyed.
Saudi authorities issued early-warning alerts in several areas, including Riyadh, Najran and Al-Kharj, before announcing that the danger had passed.
The interceptions came amid reports of further Saudi strikes inside Yemen. The Houthi-run health ministry said a Saudi airstrike on residential homes in western Taiz province on October 29 killed at least 13 people.
Houthi authorities also reported casualties from strikes on a market and a fuel station in Yemen’s northern al-Jawf province a day earlier, while a Houthi-run human rights body said a separate strike on a paint factory caused a large fire and warned of possible toxic contamination.
Despite recent reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia was willing to reach an understanding with the Houthis to end the current confrontation, the last round of strikes suggests that the two sides are still far apart.
Ukraine’s Navy said on 29 October that it destroyed two Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers in a Neptune missile strike on Marinovka airfield in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast.
The reported strike targets aircraft Russia uses to launch guided aerial bombs against Ukrainian cities, military positions, and frontline communities. Destroying the two jets would reduce Russia’s capacity to carry out these attacks.
Neptune strike hits Russian military airfield
Map: Euromaidan Press
According to the Ukrainian Navy, its units struck the site where Russian aircraft were stationed at Marinovka airfield using a Neptune coastal missile system.
The Navy said the strike destroyed two Su-34 fighter-bombers belonging to Russia’s 11th Mixed Aviation Regiment, based near the settlement of Oktyabrsky in Volgograd Oblast. The regiment is part of the 4th Mixed Aviation Division of Russia’s 4th Air and Air Defense Forces Army.
The Ukrainian Navy did not provide further details about the strike.
Su-34s are key to Russia’s guided bomb attacks
Russia uses Su-34 fighter-bombers to launch guided aerial bombs, known as KABs, against Ukrainian military positions and settlements, particularly in frontline areas. These attacks threaten both Ukrainian troops and civilians in communities near the front.
Aftermath of Russia's KAB bomb strike on a residential house in Kharkiv late on 30 October 2024. Photo: Telegram/Oleh Syniehubov
According to Ukrinform, Russia’s Aerospace Forces had approximately 140 Su-34 aircraft of various modifications in service as of 22 October.
The Ukrainian Navy said it would continue striking Russian military targets to weaken Moscow’s ability to wage war against Ukraine.
Adm. Brad Cooper, the United States military’s top commander in the Middle East, briefed President Donald Trump on military options for Iran at the White House on October 29, as Washington weighs resuming major combat operations against Tehran, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine attended the meeting with Cooper, along with other Cabinet members.
The meeting also covered additional topics, according to U.S. officials and people with direct knowledge cited by the newspaper.
The Journal did not disclose the specific military options Cooper presented or report that Trump had made a decision to resume strikes.
The briefing comes amid preparations for a possible renewed U.S. military campaign. A recent report by The Jewish Chronicle said the U.S. was moving a Patriot air defense battery from Texas to the Middle East, while American forces had also been moved away from bases considered vulnerable to Iranian attacks and ammunition stocks replenished. Trump has not made a final decision on further strikes, the report said.
Diplomatic contacts continued on October 29 alongside the military preparations. Iranian media reported that Tehran had received a letter from Vice President JD Vance addressed to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, but had not yet responded.
Trump said Vance’s outreach concerned helping Iran obtain medical supplies, after media reports described the communication as an effort to revive peace negotiations.
The Wall Street Journal had reported that the letter was sent at Trump’s direction, although the president said he had not directed Vance to contact Tehran to restart talks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran remained in contact with mediators over proposals to implement its seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in less than a week. The plan is part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to address the conflict and restore shipping through the strategic waterway.
Military tensions around the strait also featured in Thursday’s developments. Iran said three oil tankers had struck mines and caught fire while attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorized route over the previous 24 hours.
The U.S. military separately rejected Iran’s assertion that its forces had captured an American MQM-170 Outlaw reconnaissance drone near the strait. U.S. Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins called the report false, according to the Associated Press.
With U.S. forces preparing for renewed operations and Trump receiving military options for Iran, a return to war appears increasingly likely. Recent reports have pointed to the period immediately after the November 3 U.S. midterm elections as a possible window for renewed American strikes on the Islamic Republic, with Israel taking part.
Russian strikes hit targets in the Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Poltava, Rivne, Cherkasy, Chernihiv regions, and the DPR;
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 112 strike UAVs;
Russian forces struck a dry cargo ship in the port of Odesa;
Russian forces struck industrial enterprises in Kharkiv;
Russian forces struck industrial enterprises in Dnipropetrovsk;
Russian forces struck targets in Sumy.
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Russian forces advanced near Raiskoye;
Fighting is ongoing in Druzhkovskoye.
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Russian forces advanced northwest of Sergeyevka toward Shilovka;
Russian forces advanced in the area of Nadiya and Novofedorovka.
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During the past night, Russian air defenses destroyed 1,214 Ukrainian drones in the rear regions;
Russian air defenses intercepted UAVs in the Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Tula, Smolensk, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Tver, Oryol, Ryazan, Vladimir, Samara, Saratov, Penza, and Rostov regions, in the Moscow region, in Bashkortostan, and in Udmurtia;
Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked Bashkir Soda Company in Bashkortostan;
Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked Marino military airfield in the Volgograd region;
Ukrainian forces attacked the Kursk region with 153 drones. 5 people were injured;
Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian forces attacked the Belgorod region 114 times. One civilian was killed, and 7 were injured.
Russia is expanding production of jet-powered one-way attack drones while developing systems that use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify and attack targets independently, Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov said on October 29, warning that the technology could allow large numbers of drones to hunt targets without continuous operator guidance.
Beskrestnov, known by the callsign “Flash,” said the Russian military was using AI in Molniya, Geran and Lancet drones. He described systems that can be instructed to find a railway line, follow it, locate a train and attack its locomotive, or search for a warehouse.
“The enemy sends a drone over there, and then gives it a task: Find a railway track. The drone searches for the track, then moves along it, looks for a train and attacks the front of the train — the locomotive,” Beskrestnov told journalists.
“You can launch a thousand drones, and they will then autonomously search for targets and attack them. This is truly a terrible future,” he added.
Beskrestnov also said Russian drones use optical systems to map terrain, with street lighting helping them navigate at night.
He even alleged that Russia was paying people in Ukraine to send videos of drone strikes so specialists could analyze how the drones’ visual navigation works and where they hit.
Separately, Beskrestnov said Ukrainian forces had recorded Russian Geran-5 jet-powered drones reaching speeds of up to 1,000 kilometers per hour while maneuvering. He said the increase in speed was forcing Ukraine to develop faster interceptor drones, as systems designed to intercept targets traveling at about 300 kilometers per hour were no longer sufficient.
Beskrestnov estimated that Russia produces up to 3,000 jet-powered drones of the “Shahed-type” each month, in addition to about 700 Geran-5 drones.
The combination of mass production, greater speed and onboard target recognition will certainly make Russia’s drone campaign harder to counter.
The article examines Gadi Eisenkot’s portrayal as a centrist political alternative to Benjamin Netanyahu, contrasting that image with his military record and role in developing Israel’s Obliteration Doctrine.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has a liaison at the military's Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with access to advanced surveillance technology, leaked files show. The files also reveal ICE liaisons at Africa Command (AFRICOM) and Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) with access to the same tech, and an ICE contractor associated with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in the Middle East.
On Wednesday, a hacker group calling itself the Department of Peace released a massive collection of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel files, including ICE and other domestic security agencies. "They have our information, so it's only fair that we have theirs," the hackers wrote in a note attached to the database, which was posted online to Distributed Denial of Secrets, a platform for data leaks.
DHS told TheWashington Post that it was "aware of a potential breach" and "working to address the situation swiftly and effectively." A website hosting a searchable version of the leak, ICEpick, was taken down after the DHS sent a letter demanding that the domain name host "stop serving the personal contact and location data of individuals who did not consent."
The files include an ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit chief who appears to oversee the agency's military liaisons. His subordinates include a "Combatant Command Program Manager" at SOCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida; an "HSI Liaison to USAFRICOM" in Stuttgart, Germany; and a "Senior Liaison to U.S. Southern Command" in Doral, Florida.
All of the officials named in the files are listed as users of "Penlink," "Falcon," and "RavenGo." The contractor PenLink offers officials the ability to track individual cell phone users or collect data on everyone in a certain location, according to documents obtained by 404media. FALCON, created by the contractor Palantir, allows officials to combine records from governmental and commercial databases, The Guardianreports. The DHS eventually phased out FALCON in favor of an in-house system, RAVEN.
The unit chief is additionally listed in a group called "LCR_Users." The acronym may refer to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence at Liberty Crossing, McLean, Virginia. Two employees are listed in the DHS files with "ODNI" in their title and "LCR - Liberty Crossing" as their location. The first Trump administration reportedly looked into merging ICE into the federal intelligence community, but never officially did so.
The files also include an HSI contractor listed as "CENTCOM analyst" at the National Targeting Center in Sterling, Virginia. Unlike the other liaisons, this contractor does not have access to ICE's own surveillance software. The National Targeting Center is a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unit that surveils international travel and selects passengers for questioning. CENTCOM oversees all U.S. military forces in the Middle East.
Although it has been mentioned in public, ICE's relationship with the military is shrouded in mystery. Of course, the best-documented relationship is with SOUTHCOM, responsible for U.S. forces in Latin America. Official press releases also mentioned HSI's participation in an AFRICOM maritime security training exercise in 2021. The connections to SOCOM and CENTCOM have not been publicly reported.
ICE did not respond to Reason's request for comment.
The DHS has an in-house intelligence office that is separate from HSI and publicly cooperates with the U.S. military, as well as the rest of the intelligence community. But HSI's "global footprint" and ability to straddle the line between law enforcement and foreign policy "make it uniquely capable of disrupting and dismantling the sophisticated groups and networks that we now face," HSI Executive Assistant Director Katrina W. Berger testified to Congress in 2024.
HSI is supposed to handle serious organized crimes involving the border rather than day-to-day deportations. However, the Trump administration has turned the directorate into an all-purpose domestic spying and enforcement arm. HSI is now running a massive surveillance operation against left-wing protesters, WIRED recently revealed.
Agents have reportedly been pulled away from investigating human trafficking and drug cartels to deal with immigration enforcement. HSI was involved in arresting former CNN journalist Don Lemon for showing up at an anti-ICE protest at a church, and led the raid against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D–Minn.) reportedly aimed at showing that her U.S. citizenship is invalid.
Last month, ICE announced upcoming contracts for a $100 million, fast-tracked expansion of its domestic surveillance capabilities, with contractors asked "to identify and assess relationships among individuals, organizations, locations, events, activities, data points, and other entities." Former military intelligence analyst Michael Wriston called the intensified ICE surveillance a case of "imperial boomerang" in an interview with The American Prospect. "These are the kinds of things that happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, for years. Now that methodology is being brought into the ICE space."
The US military is reportedly sending an additional Patriot missile system to Israel as preparations continue for a potential US-Israeli attack on Iran, while Gulf Arab allies have been warned to prepare for a renewed bombing campaign.
Iran stepped up its military operations around the Strait of Hormuz on October 29, in what appears to be an attempt to deter the United States and Israel.
In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force said its air defenses had shot down an MQ-1 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Sirik in southern Iran, using a new air defense system operating within the country’s integrated air defense network.
It described the interception as the 14th MQ-1 it had destroyed during the war and said it had also downed 54 MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Later, the Corps released footage showing the interception and destruction of several MQ-1 and MQ-9 drones in recent days.
In another announcement, the IRGC Navy said its electronic warfare unit had seized control of an American MQM-170 surveillance and decoy drone in the western Strait of Hormuz and landed it intact.
The force said the drone had been tasked with identifying Iranian air defense systems along the Persian Gulf coast and the strait. It also said recovered data indicated that the drone had taken off from the coast of a Gulf state, stopping short of naming it.
Despite the release of footage showing the seized drone, the U.S. Central Command denied the reported capture, with spokesman Tim Hawkins calling Iran’s account false.
The IRGC Navy also said three oil tankers had struck naval mines and caught fire over the preceding 24 hours while attempting to leave the strait through an unauthorized southern route.
In a statement, the Corps said the vessels had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings from Iranian forces before being abandoned off the southern coast of the waterway. The navy warned that unauthorized routes were mined and said vessel owners and crews would bear responsibility for using them.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center separately reported receiving information about a vessel on fire in the strait, but it did not establish whether that vessel was among the three cited by Iran.
The announcements came amid warnings that the U.S. and Israel could resume military strikes against Iran after the November 3 American midterm elections.
U.S. officials have privately urged regional allies to prepare for possible renewed attacks and Iranian retaliation against energy facilities and other critical infrastructure, according to diplomats cited by The Associated Press.
Taken together, Iran’s announcements appeared intended to raise the potential cost of renewed U.S.-Israeli military action. The Islamic Republic is clearly signaling that another campaign could threaten not only American military assets but also maritime traffic and regional energy supplies.
Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher
A proposed trilateral meeting among Russian President Vladimir Putin, United States President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to address the concessions Ukraine will need to make to end the conflict, according to retired German Bundeswehr general Roland Kather. In an interview with a German television channel, Kather said the logical conclusion of the fighting is a diplomatic settlement reached through negotiations, and that Trump is dissatisfied with the unresolved situation and intends to push for an agreement.
The German general stressed that the summit will not be a casual discussion or merely an opportunity to “have coffee” and that they must prepare specific decisions in advance. He suggested that the three leaders will examine three core issues related to Ukraine: territorial problems that can be settled only at the heads-of-state level, Ukraine’s permanent neutral status, and the future size of its armed forces.
Kather expressed doubt that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared to offer meaningful concessions. At the same time, he said Putin has no reason to retreat because Moscow still has the advantage.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov has already said that preparations for a Putin-Trump-Xi meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming APEC summit in China are underway. Trump has said the summit is needed mainly to discuss nuclear disarmament, though the Ukraine question is widely expected to feature.
The three leaders are discussing this issue among themselves, as Ukraine has nothing substantial left to offer Russia at the negotiating table. Moscow has also been clear about its ultimatum – demands met through a negotiated deal in which Ukraine cedes territory and accepts neutrality, or the military operation continues until Russia achieves its objectives on the battlefield. Since Trump has accepted that Ukraine no longer brings anything of value to negotiations but is still encouraged to fight by Brussels, he will directly negotiate with Putin and Xi to end the war.
Earlier this month, Putin signaled Russia’s readiness to resume trilateral talks on a Ukraine settlement focused on security guarantees and the future architecture of European security. Ushakov said such talks could resume after the US midterm elections on November 3.
Meanwhile, the EU is facing the consequences of years of confrontational policy. The newspaper La Verità noted that the EU’s intransigent stance toward Russia has left Brussels scrambling to secure a seat at the table with other powers, saying negotiation is a fundamental tool of political power and that when one actor stops talking to another, it lets others set the terms of peace. The Italian daily described this as the humiliating lesson the EU appears to have learned.
Since 2022, the EU has tightened economic sanctions, pursued Russia’s political isolation, and provided military support to Ukraine. Brussels is now considering appointing a senior representative to establish a direct channel with Moscow as it urgently seeks to restore dialogue with a government it had vowed never to normalize relations with. The main challenge is finding someone who can speak for the EU without being seen in Moscow as merely voicing hostility. Neither European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen nor the majority of EU members are considered suitable, given their repeated criticisms of Russia.
European leaders continue to insist that no agreement on European security be reached without EU involvement. However, the EU’s influence has diminished because it long refused to keep channels open. Brussels has reportedly considered five possible mediators to contact Russia on a Ukraine peace deal: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Putin said former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder would be his preferred negotiator, adding that the Europeans should choose someone they trust who has not made harsh statements against Moscow.
The Russian military and political advantage narrows Ukraine’s chances of the Kremlin making concessions, a reality the EU stubbornly refuses to accept. At the same time, the EU’s scramble to find an acceptable negotiator highlights the economic and political damage that self-imposed isolation from Russia has caused. Without open communication channels and the ability to shift the balance of power, both Kiev and Brussels face an agreement largely shaped by Trump, Putin, and Xi.
Preparations for the trilateral summit within the APEC context, along with Russia’s stated readiness to resume talks after the US midterm elections, suggest that Kiev’s window to negotiate on a realistic basis and secure a better deal is closing. The capacity for the three Great Powers to set the agenda without Ukrainian participation further underlines how far the balance has shifted in Russia’s favor since the conflict began, despite Western sanctions.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth fired one of the Pentagon’s senior strategic planners amid an investigation into allegations he leaked classified information to journalists about the Iran war, Russia’s war in Ukraine and other sensitive matters, a Department of War official told Fox News.
The official said Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia failed three polygraph examinations related to alleged disclosures of classified information. The investigation has been referred to the Justice Department.
Sylvia is also accused of meeting journalists outside the Pentagon with the alleged intention of leaking classified material after Hegseth imposed new media restrictions requiring reporters to be escorted inside the building.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the DOJ and Sylvia for comment but did not hear back at time of publication.
Sylvia served as director of the Joint Staff’s Directorate for Strategy, Plans and Policy, known as the J5, a senior role responsible for developing military strategy and advising the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. The J5 has been sidelined from that role since the spring, according to well-placed sources who spoke to Fox News.
The official stressed that Sylvia was not a central planner of the Iran war, which falls under U.S. Central Command and its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper.
The Atlantic first reported Sylvia’s ouster Wednesday night, citing sources who said Hegseth had lost confidence in the three-star general amid tensions with Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby.
Sylvia is the second officer leading the J5 to be removed under Hegseth, following Lt. Gen. John McGee. Hegseth also removed Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, then director of the Joint Staff, earlier this year.
U.S. officials have reportedly warned allies in the Middle East to prepare for possible renewed strikes after next week’s midterm elections and potential Iranian retaliation, while additional U.S. forces are moving into the region.
A 1994 West Point graduate, Sylvia has served more than three decades in the Army, including multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, and was wounded in combat. Before taking over the J5 in December, he commanded the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell and had previously served as the J5’s vice director.
Sylvia’s removal is the latest in a broader turnover of senior military leadership under Hegseth, with nearly two dozen generals, admirals and other senior leaders fired, pushed out or otherwise departing during his tenure.
Click to see full-size image. (Israeli Defense Forces)
Footage that surfaced online on October 28 appeared to show an unexploded Israeli-made SPICE 250 precision-guided munition found in Syria’s Deir Ezzor governorate, raising questions about possible Israeli strikes on military storage sites amid a series of mysterious explosions across the country.
The munition was found three days after a powerful explosion in the al-Bujama’a area of Deir Ezzor. Syrian state broadcaster Al-Ikhbariya reported at the time that an old missile left over from the war had exploded after children lit a fire nearby and tampered with it. Footage posted to social networks, however, showed a large blast. No casualties were reported.
Another explosion rocked the outskirts of Saraqib in Idlib governorate the next day, October 26. Footage published online showed projectiles being hurled into the air uncontrollably as explosions continued across the site, with some objects resembling large rockets.
Local reports initially described the Saraqib site as an ammunition or weapons-storage facility. Al-Ikhbariya subsequently reported that Civil Defense teams had extinguished a fire following the destruction of old war remnants. The Idlib Media Directorate said there were no casualties. Notably, there was no advance public warning of the reported demolition.
The two recent explosions followed a series of deadly incidents at ammunition and weapons-storage sites across Syria. On September 1, an ammunition-laden vehicle exploded near Binnish in Idlib, killing five people. An explosion at a temporary weapons depot near Sarmada in the same governorate on September 9 killed 21 people. Later on September 18, a blast at an ammunition depot inside a Defense Ministry barracks near Ayyash in Deir Ezzor killed 11 ministry personnel and injured about 10 others.
Further explosions struck an weapons depot near al-Iss in Aleppo governorate on September 21, injuring four people, and the Taftanaz military air base in Idlib on October 2. The causes of the latter incident were not publicly established.
In an October 24 review, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights counted 37 deaths and around 27 injuries across five incidents involving weapons-storage sites since early September.
Reuters has separately recorded at least 16 explosions at Syrian arms-storage facilities since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The unexploded SPICE 250 provides the first physical evidence of recent covert Israeli military action against Syrian assets, adding a new dimension to the wave of explosions at weapons-storage facilities across the country.
The SPICE 250 is a compact precision-guided glide bomb with a stand-off range of up to 100 kilometers. Its ER variant adds a miniature turbojet engine, extending the advertised range to 150 kilometers. The munition’s low profile makes it especially suitable for covert strikes.
The discovery of the munition in Deir Ezzor, following the October 25 blast in the same governorate and the successive detonations near Saraqib in Idlib a day later, strengthens the picture of a sustained campaign against Syria’s military stockpiles.
Israel has conducted repeated strikes against weapons and military infrastructure in Syria for years, particularly against capabilities it considers a threat, and its military activity inside the country has not stopped with the fall of Assad.
The suspected attacks on ammunition depots fit within the broader logic of Israel’s longstanding campaign to prevent hostile military capabilities from taking root in Syria, sometimes described as a “war between the wars.”
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The opening moves of the next major war could unfold hundreds of miles above Earth.
U.S. adversaries are looking at ways to blind American forces in future conflict by jamming communications, disabling GPS, using lasers to attack satellites or destroying them completely.
A sweeping new Defense Intelligence Agency assessment details how China and Russia are developing sophisticated ways to disrupt or destroy U.S. satellites. This includes a Russian satellite designed to carry a nuclear weapon into Earth's orbit.
American forces rely on satellites to communicate across battlefields, navigate ships and aircraft, track enemy forces, detect missile launches and guide precision weapons to their targets. Knocking those systems offline could leave forces below struggling to see, communicate and strike.
"We can't do military operations the way that we do them today without satellites, without systems in space," Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, previously told Fox News Digital.
"Whoever has space and can deny that to their adversary has a huge asymmetric advantage in a conflict," Swope said.
Beyond the battlefield, satellites underpin everything from GPS navigation and communications to banking, transportation and the electric grid, meaning a large-scale attack in space could disrupt services millions of people rely on every day.
Chinese military thinkers have identified reconnaissance, communications, navigation and early-warning satellites as potential targets for attacks designed to "blind and deafen the enemy," according to the report. DIA assesses Beijing could begin threatening or gradually degrading an adversary’s space architecture during a crisis as a "prelude to war."
Russia, meanwhile, views U.S. reliance on satellites for precision strikes and projecting military power as a "critical vulnerability" to exploit during a conflict. Its doctrine envisions attacks ranging from temporary jamming and blinding satellite sensors to the outright destruction of spacecraft and the infrastructure supporting them.
DIA describes the threat as a continuum, beginning with attacks that can temporarily disrupt a satellite without destroying it and escalating through cyber and orbital attacks to kinetic weapons and, ultimately, a nuclear detonation in space.
Some of those tactics have already made their way into active conflict. During Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. and Iran "took offensive actions against each other's space capabilities to degrade and disrupt military actions on both sides," according to DIA. The report does not detail those operations, but says jamming near the Strait of Hormuz in June disrupted U.S. aircraft and shipping vessels.
The Chinese military already practices jamming satellite communications and GPS during military exercises. Beijing also has ground-based lasers capable of disrupting or damaging satellites in low-Earth orbit, and DIA assesses it could field space-based directed-energy systems by the late 2020s.
Other Chinese systems can get much closer. The Shijian-17 satellite has a robotic arm capable of grappling another satellite, while Shijian-21 used similar technology in 2022 to move a defunct Chinese navigation satellite into a higher orbit. DIA noted that the same technology used to service or remove satellites can also have military applications.
Russia has repeatedly put its own spacecraft near U.S. satellites. Cosmos 2543 began following a U.S. national security satellite after it was released into orbit in 2019, approaching it several times before later firing a projectile in what DIA described as an anti-satellite weapons test.
Russia sent Cosmos 2558 near another U.S. government satellite in 2022, and two years later launched Cosmos 2576 into the same orbit as a U.S. national security satellite before it began moving toward the American spacecraft. By 2025, Cosmos 2588 was maneuvering within roughly 93 kilometers of another U.S. government satellite.
Russia is also developing Burevestnik, an air-launched weapon intended to "kill" satellites in low-Earth orbit, according to DIA. The weapon would be launched from a modified MiG-31 aircraft and could be placed into orbit with little or no warning.
The threat escalates dramatically with Russia’s nuclear ambitions.
"Russia is developing a satellite designed to carry a nuclear weapon," the assessment states. Such a weapon could cause the "rapid and sudden loss or degradation of thousands of satellites" operated by governments and companies around the world, disrupting communications, navigation, weather forecasting and national security systems.
The damage could continue long after the initial blast. DIA warns that a nuclear detonation in space would leave behind radiation belts that "could persist for years" and damage satellites that initially survived or were only temporarily disrupted.
The threat has been on Washington’s radar for years. Then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner set off alarm bells in February 2024 when he called on the Biden administration to declassify intelligence about a "serious national security threat," later revealed to involve a Russian nuclear anti-satellite capability.
U.S. officials have generally been more guarded about the underlying intelligence. As recently as April, U.S. Space Command chief Gen. Stephen Whiting said officials were "very concerned" by reports that Russia was potentially considering placing a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in orbit, but declined to confirm whether Moscow was actually developing one.
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