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DUMA, WEST BANK — For three decades, Rabbi Arik Ascherman has devoted himself largely to helping Palestinian civilians in the occupied West Bank. He heads Torat Zedek, which means Torah of Justice — a group that is out in the field trying to protect them from one of the most intensive waves of settler violence since 1967.

President Trump has instructed aides to prepare for an extended blockade of Iran, U.S. officials said, targeting the regime’s coffers in a high-risk bid to compel a nuclear capitulation Tehran has long refused.

The Senate on Tuesday blocked an effort to prevent President Trump from launching an attack on Cuba without congressional authorization amid a ramped-up US oil embargo and planning for a potential war against the island nation.

Southern Lebanon witnessed widespread displacement on Sunday following extensive Israeli airstrikes, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a military escalation against the country.

Taiwan recently signed six arms deals with the US worth about $6.6 billion as the Trump administration is pushing ahead with major weapons sales to the island despite warnings from China.

The White House is facing renewed scrutiny after explosive claims emerged alleging that pro-Trump influencer messaging is not spontaneous but coordinated through secret group chats. The controversy intensified following a shooting incident at a Trump-related dinner event, where dozens of right-wing commentators posted nearly identical messages within minutes.

During the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the Christian village of Debel has spent an undue amount of time in the spotlight. In the lead-up to the ceasefire, an image emerged of an Israeli soldier smashing a statue of Jesus in the village with a sledgehammer, sparking international outcry and leading to Israel jailing a pair of soldiers for the incident.

The State Department said in a statement last week that the US is in conflict with Iran “at the request” of Israel, an acknowledgment of Israel’s role in steering the US into the war, which the US has dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that comes after the US military seized an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman and a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the Indian Ocean.

Next week, the Senate is expected to vote on a War Powers Resolution aimed at preventing a US attack on Cuba amid reports that the Pentagon is ramping up preparations for a potential war against the island nation.