Iran’s supreme leader calls for Muslim unity against US and Israel as tensions rise across Mideast

Irans supreme leader has called on Muslim nations to unite against the United States and Israel urging leaders across the Islamic world to recognise what he described as their common enemiesThe appeal came as tensions linked to the war involving Iran continued to affect the wider Middle East On Saturday a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile in the Strait of Hormuz while Israel reported evacuating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus eldest son from the United States following what security officials described as a significant threatMeanwhile violence continued in Gaza and the occupied West Bank where an Israeli airstrike killed at least two Palestinians including a 3yearold child and journalists working for NBC were reportedly attacked by settlersKhamenei calls for Muslim countries to confront real enemyIrans supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged rulers of Muslim countries to know your real enemy understand its plans and confront it according to the official IRNA news agencyKhamenei described the US and Israel as enemies of all Islamic nations His comments were contained in a letter addressed to religious leaders attending a conference in TehranSix months after the US and Israel attacked Iran killing Khameneis father and other senior leaders the supreme leader has yet to make a public appearanceThe war has also exposed divisions within the Muslim world particularly after Iran struck targets in neighbouring Gulf Arab countries and restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz Tehran has long opposed the US military presence in the regionNetanyahus eldest son evacuated from US following threatIsraels Shin Bet security agency said it urgently evacuated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus eldest son from the United States because of a threat against himIn a brief statement obtained on Sunday Shin Bet confirmed there had been a significant threat to Yair Netanyahu but did not provide further detailsThe Israeli prime minister said in an interview with an Israeli television station last week that Iran had attempted to kill one of his sons His office declined to comment further on SundayYair Netanyahu moved to Miami in 2023 and spent much of the period when Israel was at war in Gaza Lebanon and Iran outside the country He has also acted as an unofficial adviser to his father while drawing criticism and controversy over his social media attacks on political opponents and other criticsTanker struck by unidentified projectile in Strait of HormuzA monitoring agency run by the British military said an unidentified projectile struck a tanker north of Khasab Oman in the Strait of Hormuz on SaturdayThe United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said the vessel had been travelling inbound at the time of the incident No casualties or environmental damage were reportedThe agency cited unspecified military authorities in its report There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attackThe incident came amid continued concerns over the security of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz a strategically important waterway that has remained under pressure during the conflictNBC says settlers attacked journalists in the West BankNBC said settlers attacked one of its crews in the central West Bank on Saturday while the journalists were interviewing a Palestinian woman who said she had been forced from her homeCorrespondent Matt Bradley two other members of the crew and the woman received treatment for injuries NBC said without providing details about the nature or severity of their injuriesThe network released footage showing masked settlers approaching the crew carrying sticks and striking their vehiclesIsraels military said it was aware of reports of Palestinian injuries including a Palestinian woman who sustained nonlifethreatening injuries It did not comment directly on the reported attack on the NBC crewPrime Minister Netanyahu issued a rare condemnation on Saturday following a recent wave of settler violence in the West Bank His government has faced criticism from the US over the attacksBritish activist faces deportation after alleged settler assaultIsraeli settlers seized a British activist from a Palestinian village in the West Bank on Saturday and held him in a shed before handing him over to police his lawyer said SundayThe circumstances surrounding his detention were unclear Settlers accused the activist Finn Joughin of assaulting a child an allegation his lawyer Inbar Shaked Vardi deniedSettlers referred to a video that appeared to show Joughin using his body to prevent a settler boy from passing through a fence Vardi said the footage showed that the activist had been attempting to protect the villageWithout any hearing the police has decided to move him to deportation which just shows that this entire case has been political in the first place Vardi said adding that Joughin was likely to be deported on Sunday nightA spokesperson for the UK government said British embassy officials had raised the matter with Israeli authoritiesIsraeli strike in Gaza kills child and another PalestinianAn Israeli strike hit a group of people in the western part of Deir alBalah killing a 3yearold child and a man whom the Israeli military described as a Hamas operativeThe military said the man had posed an immediate threat but did not provide evidence to support the claimAnother Palestinian was wounded in the strike according to AlAqsa Martyrs Hospital which received the casualtiesGazas Health Ministry said Israeli fire has killed at least 1318 Palestinians since a fragile ceasefire agreement in October attempted to halt more than two years of fighting between Israel and HamasThe ministry which operates under the Hamasled government maintains detailed casualty records that are considered generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts It does not distinguish between civilian and militant casualties in its overall death tollWith inputs from Associated Press