BERLIN, June 24 (Reuters) - European leaders reaffirmed on Wednesday their commitment to a stronger defence partnership ahead of next month's NATO summit in Ankara, following a series of spats with U.S. President Donald Trump and tensions among the main European members.

They also offered a warm farewell to outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after he announced this week he would step down amid growing discontent in his party.

June 24 (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for the early restoration of normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to help ensure the stability of global industrial and supply chains, state media Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

Here are some more details:

• Wang made the remarks during a phone conversation with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Xinhua said.

• China is willing to work with all parties to support the negotiations to advance without interference, the report cited Wang as saying.

KUWAIT CITY, June 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday vowed that the United States will not do anything that would undermine the security of U.S. allies in the Gulf region when it comes to Washington's dealings with Iran.

"We're going to be completely aligned with our partners in the Gulf," Rubio told reporters in Kuwait City before departing for Bahrain. "That's why I've taken these trips now, and it's the reason why I'm here."

KUWAIT CITY, June 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Embassy in Kuwait resumed operations on Wednesday during a visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, months after services were suspended in March by Iranian attacks.

The embassy, located in Kuwait City, will immediately resume emergency services for American citizens while other services will be phased in, a State Department spokesperson said.

The State Department shut down embassy operations in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in March after Iranian drones fired at the missions following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Cracked bones, humiliation, sexual assault: Pro-Palestinian activists recounted the abuse they say they suffered from Israeli authorities for taking part in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla last month, which has sparked multiple investigations and international outcry.

France, Italy and Australia have launched probes into the allegations of abuse -- which Israeli authorities deny -- after more than 430 activists from around the world were detained during the latest attempt by an aid flotilla to break the blockade of the war-battered Gaza Strip.

By Alexander Cornwell, Tala Ramadan and Jana Choukeir

TEL AVIV/DUBAI June 24 (Reuters) - Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday Israeli troops will not withdraw from southern Lebanon, highlighting a hurdle to Iran-U.S. peace talks, as the top U.S. diplomat tours the Middle East to win over allies sceptical about a proposed deal.

By Samia Nakhoul

BEIRUT, June 24 (Reuters) - The biggest casualty of the U.S.-Iran deal may not be Israel's Iran strategy, but the political brand Benjamin Netanyahu spent decades constructing as the Israeli leader who could uniquely bend Washington to his will on Iran, analysts, former U.S. officials and diplomats say.

ROME, June 24 (Reuters) - Italy on Wednesday pushed back against remarks by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that hundreds of U.S. aircraft had taken off from American bases in Italy to support military operations against Iran, saying Rome had authorised only technical and logistical flights.

Rutte, speaking to Fox News television, cited Italy as an example of European support for the U.S. and said 500 U.S. planes had taken off from U.S. bases in Italy "to support Epic Fury", Washington's name for the war it launched alongside Israel.

ZURICH, June 24 (Reuters) - Switzerland has started contract negotiations with manufacturers from France, Israel and South Korea for a second air defence system following delays to its order of U.S. Patriot missile systems, the government said on Wednesday.

Switzerland in 2022 ordered Patriot missile defence systems made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin for expected delivery by ​2026-2028, but the timeline was pushed back four to ​five years due to the war in Ukraine.

ANKARA, June 24 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that he would "most likely" hold bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump when the U.S. leader comes to Ankara for a NATO summit next month.

Turkey will host 32 NATO leaders, as well as officials from the alliance's partners in the Gulf and Asia-Pacific region, on July 7-8 amid tensions within the alliance over burden-sharing, defence spending, and U.S. complaints over allies' involvement on re-opening the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Iran war.