The shift in position puts the New York congresswoman on a course that sets her apart from other potential 2028 White House contenders.

Defence Minister Israel Katz also says houses in Lebanese villages near the Israeli border will be demolished.

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that Iran is seeking a ceasefire, hours ahead of his primetime speech to the nation to provide an update about the ongoing war.

Iran hit a tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait International Airport early Wednesday as Tehran remained unrelenting in its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors, while acknowledging for the first time that Washington had been in direct contact about a possible ceasefire.

Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre closed on Palm Sunday under Israeli wartime rules, drawing rebukes from the Catholic Church and Italy.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Tuesday that Israel was “openly and unashamedly bombing pharmaceutical companies.”

Israel will destroy all homes in Lebanese villages near the border and 600,000 people who fled the south will not be allowed home until northern Israel is secure, the defence minister said on Tuesday,

The move follows French restrictions on Israeli participation in defense exhibitions and its support for a UN resolution calling for an arms embargo on Israel.