Russian and Syrian aircraft on Tuesday temporarily stopped striking the Syrian city of Aleppo, a move the countries said will allow for humanitarian aid to enter the city. The halt, which began at about 10 a.m. local time, is to let militants leave rebel-held parts of the city, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, according to The Associated Press. During the “humanitarian pause,” which lasts until 4 p.m. Thursday, Russian and Syrian militaries will not conduct offensive actions allowing the wounded and sick to leave Idlib. “It will … guarantee a safe exit of civilians through six corridors and prepare for the evacuation of the ill and wounded from the eastern part of Aleppo,” Shoigu said in a statement, according to AP. The UN said it still needs assurances that fighting will be completely stopped before it sends humanitarian aid into the city. The US State Department said this week the pause is “a bit too little, too late.”
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.