Khamenei urges Muslim unity as settler attacks on journalists, activists spike

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued a public appeal to leaders of Muslim nations, urging them to unite against what he described as their common enemies. In a letter addressed to religious leaders gathered at a conference in Tehran, Khamenei called for cooperation and solidarity, explicitly naming the United States and Israel as adversaries of all Islamic countries. He advised rulers to "know your real enemy, understand its plans and confront it."

The appeal comes amid ongoing regional tensions following the February 28 strikes that killed Khamenei's father and other senior leaders. The conflict has highlighted divisions within the Muslim world, particularly after Iran's actions against Gulf Arab states and its restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since the strikes, has consistently opposed a US military presence in neighboring countries.

Separately, violence in the occupied West Bank has drawn international attention. The US network NBC reported that its crew was attacked by Israeli settlers on Saturday while interviewing a Palestinian woman who claimed she had been forced from her home. The network said correspondent Matt Bradley, two other crew members, and the woman were injured in the assault, which was captured on video showing masked settlers wielding sticks and beating the crew's vehicles.

Israel's military acknowledged reports of Palestinian injuries, confirming that a woman was evacuated by the Red Crescent with non-life-threatening wounds, but did not comment on the attack on the journalists. The incident is part of a rising wave of settler violence that prompted a rare public condemnation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has faced US criticism over the issue.

In a related development, a British activist, Finn Joughin, was seized by settlers from a Palestinian village on Saturday and held for half an hour before being handed over to Israeli police. His lawyer, Inbar Shaked Vardi, said settlers locked him in a shed and that he was due in a Jerusalem court on Sunday. Video footage shows two settlers, one armed, restraining Joughin. Settlers allege he assaulted a child, a claim his lawyer denies, saying he was protecting the village. Police are holding Joughin on suspicion of committing an indecent act against a minor.