President Trump heads to Canada on Sunday for the first gathering of the Group of Seven (G-7) alliance since he returned to office in January, a summit that has taken on fresh urgency amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

Canada will play host to the gathering of world leaders days after Israel and Iran traded attacks on Friday, risking a further escalation in a simmering situation in the region.

The gathering also comes after Trump has for months openly mused about annexing his neighbor to the north as a 51st state. Leaders are also expected to discuss key issues like trade and the war in Ukraine.

Here are five things to watch.

Israel and Iran strikes take centerstage

The G-7 comes at a precarious time in the Middle East after Israel carried out strikes against Iran, which soon retaliated. Residential neighborhoods in both Tel Aviv and Tehran were targets, as were Iranian nuclear sites and military bases.

The Trump administration had been attempting to broker an agreement with Tehran to limit its nuclear capabilities, something the president has indicated it may still try to do in the wake of the Israeli attack. Other world leaders have urged de-escalation, wary of another wider conflict in the region.

Trump on Friday morning told ABC News that Iran missed its chance for talks.

“I think it's been excellent,” Trump said of the Israeli strikes. “We gave them a chance and they didn't take it. They got hit hard, very hard. They got hit about as hard as you're going to get hit. And there's more to come. A lot more.”

When the first strikes were launched, the Trump administration quickly distanced itself from the Israeli operation. On Friday, a U.S. official confirmed it was helping Israel intercept missiles coming into Israel from Iran.

By midday on Friday, Trump told NBC News that Iran may have another opportunity to make a deal over its nuclear program and indicated that the Iranians are calling him and reaching out.........

© The Hill