A top military official with NATO warned businesses on Monday to be ready for a wartime scenario, which could entail adjusting production and distribution lines to be less vulnerable to blackmail from Russia and China.

Dutch Admiral Rob Bauer, the chairperson of NATO’s military committee, told attendees at an event of the European Policy Center think tank in Brussels that all available instruments could be used during a time of war, according to a report from Reuters.

“If we can make sure that all crucial services and goods can be delivered no matter what, then that is a key part of our deterrence,” Bauer said.

He also said NATO is seeing a growing number of sabotage acts while Europe has seen the same when it comes to its energy supply.

UKRAINE TO ANALYZE FRAGMENTS OF MISSILE FIRED BY RUSSIA CAPABLE OF CARRYING NUCLEAR WARHEADS

“We thought we had a deal with Gazprom, but we actually had a deal with Mr. Putin. And the same goes for Chinese-owned infrastructure and goods. We actually have a deal with [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping],” Bauer told the group.

The west, Bauer explained, depends on supplies from China, as 60% of all rare earth materials are produced, and 90% of those are processed there.

Also coming from China are chemical ingredients for sedatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and low blood pressure medications, he further explained.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk to each other during their meeting in Beijing, China on Feb. 4, 2022. (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

“We are naive if we think the Communist Party will never use that power,” Bauer said. “Business leaders in Europe and America need to realize that the commercial decisions they make have strategic consequences for the security of their nation.”

“Businesses need to be prepared for a wartime scenario and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly,” he continued to stress. “Because while it may be the military who wins battles, it’s the economies that win wars.”

Bauer’s message comes as tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue to escalate.

1,000 DAYS OF WAR IN UKRAINE AS ZELENSKYY DOUBLES DOWN ON AERIAL OPTIONS WITH ATACMS, DRONES AND MISSILES

A serviceman of the 24th Mechanized brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fires a 2s5 “Hyacinth-s” self-propelled howitzer towards Russian troops at a front line, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, near the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region, Ukraine November 18, 2024.  (Oleg Petrasiuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS )

Last week, Russia launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) capable of carrying conventional or nuclear warheads, into Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials said the missile called Oreshnik — Russian for Hazel Tree — reached speeds of Mach 11 when it struck a factory in the city of Dnipro on Thursday.

While two U.S. officials told Fox News the missile was not hypersonic, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday the attack was concerning and that it was the first time the missile had been used on the battlefield.

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North Korea also sent at least 11,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine alongside Russian soldiers, further escalating tensions.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Israel’s military launched air attacks across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least a dozen people, even as officials claimed they were nearing an agreement on a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israeli attacks hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut on Monday as well as in the port city of Tyre, where 12 people were killed – adding to the more than 3,700 people in Lebanon who have been killed by Israeli attacks in this two-month war.

Israeli officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut’s southern suburbs, and attacks landed across the city, including metres from a Lebanese police base and the city’s largest public park.

Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Beirut on Monday, said Israeli attacks across Lebanon in recent days were “more powerful, more destructive, more frequent and happening more often without warning – leaving people no time to get out of the way of Israeli missiles and drones”.

The barrages came as the Israeli ambassador to the United States said a ceasefire deal to end fighting between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah could be reached “within days”.

Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that there remain “points to finalise” and any deal requires agreement from the government. But he said, “We are close to a deal”.

Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was set to convene on Tuesday to discuss a proposed ceasefire.

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said Israel would maintain an ability to strike southern Lebanon under any agreement. Lebanon has previously objected to wording that would grant Israel such a right.

The US has pushed for a deal to end over a year of hostilities between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel, which erupted in parallel with Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and has drastically escalated over the last two months.

In Beirut, Elias Bou Saab, Lebanon’s deputy parliament speaker, told the Reuters news agency there were “no serious obstacles” left to start implementing a US-proposed ceasefire with Israel, “unless Netanyahu changes his mind”.

He said the proposal would entail an Israeli military withdrawal from south Lebanon and regular Lebanese soldiers deploying in the border region, long a Hezbollah stronghold, within 60 days.

A sticking point on who would monitor compliance with the ceasefire had been resolved in the last 24 hours with an agreement to set up a five-country committee that includes France and is chaired by the US, he said.

But Bou Saab also accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire”.

After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, US officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement.

“We have made significant progress with getting towards a resolution,” US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “But we are not done yet. Nothing is final until everything is final.”

The French presidency reported “significant progress” in talks on a ceasefire and urged Israel and Hezbollah to “seize this opportunity”.

One far-right member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah”.

But hostilities continue to intensify despite the reported diplomatic progress. Over the weekend, Israel carried out powerful attacks, one of which killed at least 29 people in central Beirut, while Hezbollah unleashed one of its biggest rocket salvos yet on Sunday, firing 250 missiles into Israel.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Israeli attacks since October 2023 have killed 3,768 people in Lebanon and forced more than one million people from their homes.

Hezbollah strikes have killed 45 civilians in northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. At least 73 Israeli soldiers have been killed in northern Israel, the Golan Heights and in combat in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli authorities.

Al Jazeera’s Basravi said that in past conflicts with Israel, there had been a surge of violence on both sides of the border, followed by a cessation.

“People are clinging to the hope that this is that moment,” he said.

Ready or not, the holidays are here. It’s a time when many Americans accustomed to preparing simple meals find themselves responsible for safely serving multi-dish feasts.

It’s no easy task. Outbreaks of some types of food poisoning tend to rise in November and December, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tainted turkey, undercooked stuffing and germ-laced gravy from holiday buffets have all led to past illnesses — and even deaths — CDC investigators have found.

It can be tricky for occasional cooks to prepare big meals in a way that avoids the common hazards that can make people sick, said Donald Schaffner, a food science expert at Rutgers University.

“Cooking takes longer with big masses of food. Cooling takes longer with big masses of food,” said Schaffner, who co-hosts the food-safety podcast “Risky or Not?”

Together with podcast co-host Benjamin Chapman, a food scientist at North Carolina State University, Schaffner outlined common ways to keep holiday meals both festive and safe.

Prepare the turkey

Nearly 90% of U.S. hosts plan to serve turkey on Thanksgiving this year, according to the turkey producer Butterball.

But raw turkey can harbor illness-causing bacteria such as salmonella, campylobacter and other germs. It must be handled safely to prevent those bugs from contaminating refrigerator surfaces, sinks and kitchen counters.

A frozen bird must be thawed first. There are several accepted methods, including in the refrigerator, in the microwave or in cold running water, Schaffner said.

“All of these methods pose risks,” he cautioned.

A frozen turkey needs about 24 hours for every 4 to 5 pounds of weight to thaw in a refrigerator, according to the Agriculture Department. If you use a microwave or the cold water method, the bird must be cooked immediately. For details about safe turkey handling, check out the thawing and cooking calculators created by the USDA.

And don’t wash the turkey. It’s a bad idea to rinse it in the sink, even though many cooks still insist on the practice, often out of habit, said Chapman.

“Anything that hits that surface and generates spray is going to basically spread contamination around your kitchen,” he said.

Instead, pat the turkey dry with paper towels and toss them, or use a kitchen towel and disinfect it in the laundry.

What about roasting?

Turkey needs to reach a cooked temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving. The best way to tell if it’s cooked is to use a tip-sensitive digital thermometer inserted in the innermost section of the thigh, not touching the bone.

Don’t rely on the plastic pop-up thermometers stuck in some commercial turkeys. Chapman’s past research shows that those buttons can activate well before the bird is actually done.

At the same time, don’t determine doneness by relying on signs such as golden-brown skin, whether the meat is no longer pink or whether the juices run clear.

“None of those are great indicators of temperature,” Chapman said.

Side dishes and leftovers

How you handle the rest of the meal — mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans or yams — is just as important as the main dish. It’s crucial to avoid the so-called danger zone of temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, where bacteria can easily grow.

The key is to keep hot foods piping hot and cold foods cold — and to refrigerate everything promptly, Schaffner said.

“The recommendation is that you get those leftovers into the refrigerator within two hours of when they came off of the stove,” he said.

Make sure to refrigerate dense foods like sliced turkey, cooked sweet potatoes or gravy in shallow containers to help them cool down fast. Schaffner’s recent research showed that foods cooled in containers at a depth of no more than 2 inches posed little risk of growing dangerous germs.

Keep it clean

One key way to avoid food poisoning is through scrupulous cleaning in the kitchen.

Wash your hands before preparing food and after touching raw poultry. Use separate cutting boards, knives and other utensils when handling raw meat and fresh foods such as vegetables and salads.

Pay close attention to any surface that may be contaminated. It’s important to clean first with soap and water and then sanitize with a disinfectant — a two-step process.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.