China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that senior Chinese and US officials should maintain contact, when asked by reporters if Beijing would drop its sanctions on the newly confirmed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.China will firmly maintain its national interests, but at same time, it is necessary for senior officials of China and the United States to maintain contact in an appropriate manner, said Guo Jiakun, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, at a regular news conference.Rubio was among a handful of US officials sanctioned by China in 2020 over Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues.

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Tuesday that, following the resignation of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Helevi, he will begin interviewing candidates for the position of the next IDF chief of staff in the coming days."It is of utmost importance to choose the most suitable candidate to lead the IDF in this challenging period, and I intend to conduct an orderly and rapid process to select the candidate for the position of the next Chief of Staff," Katz said."The IDF is the people's army and is entrusted with the ultimate responsibility for preserving the lives of soldiers and defending the State of Israel, and I will choose the best candidate to fulfill the mission."