Iran’s supreme leader urged leaders of Muslim countries to unite against Israel and the United States, advising them to identify their "real enemy."
The U.S. news network NBC reported that a team of its journalists was attacked by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Additionally, a British activist is scheduled to appear in an Israeli court after being seized by settlers and handed over to police.
Here is an overview of recent developments concerning the Iran conflict and the broader Middle East. Full coverage is available elsewhere.
### Iran’s Supreme Leader Calls for Regional Unity Against US and Israel
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader, issued a call for cooperation and unity among Muslim nations in a letter addressed to religious leaders attending a conference in Tehran, according to reports from Iran’s official IRNA news agency. He stressed the importance of solidarity.
He identified the U.S. and Israel as adversaries to all Islamic nations.
"My enduring and repeating advice to rulers of Islamic nations," he wrote, "is to know your real enemy, understand its plans and confront it."
Khamenei has not been publicly seen since his father and other senior leaders were killed during initial strikes on February 28 when the U.S. and Israel conducted attacks.
He has consistently opposed the military presence of the U.S. in neighboring countries. The ongoing conflict has highlighted deep divisions within the Muslim world, particularly after Iran targeted sites in neighboring Gulf Arab nations during fighting and restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
### NBC Reports Crew Attacked by Settlers in West Bank
Settlers attacked an NBC crew in the central West Bank on Saturday while they were interviewing a Palestinian woman who stated that settlers had forced her out of her home, the network reported.
NBC confirmed that its American correspondent Matt Bradley, two other crew members, and the woman they interviewed received treatment for injuries sustained during the assault. No further details regarding their injuries were provided by NBC.
The attack was recorded and shared by NBC; footage showed masked settlers approaching the crew with sticks and beating the crew's vehicles.
Israel’s military stated it was "aware of reports of Palestinian injuries, including a Palestinian woman who sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was evacuated by the Red Crescent for medical treatment." The military did not comment on the attack against the NBC crew.
This incident is part of an escalating pattern of violence perpetrated by West Bank settlers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare condemnation of the violence on Saturday. The Israeli leader has faced significant criticism from the U.S. regarding these settler attacks.
### Settlers Seize British Activist and Detain Him, Lawyer States
A lawyer stated Sunday that Israeli settlers seized a British activist from a Palestinian village in the West Bank, locking him in a shed before turning him over to police.
The lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi, reported that settlers held her client, Finn Joughin, for thirty minutes on Saturday before handing him over to Israeli police. She added that Joughin was scheduled to appear before a Jerusalem court later on Sunday.
Video evidence showed two settlers, one armed, restraining Joughin and leading him away from the village.
The circumstances surrounding his capture were not immediately clear. Settlers claim he assaulted a child, an accusation Vardi strongly denied.
Settlers point to a video where the activist appears to be using his body in an attempt to prevent a settler boy from passing through a fence. Vardi stated that the video shows him attempting to protect the village.
Police confirmed they were investigating and held Joughin in custody on suspicion of committing an indecent act against a minor.