Good morning. As war in the Middle East extends into the fourth week, it also spreads across the region. More on that below, along with a new defence bank and a major top court hearing. Let’s get to it.

The latest: The war against Iran is on the verge of a massive escalation, with Iran threatening to lay mines along the entire Persian Gulf, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to destroy Iran’s power plant unless the country opens the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours.

In the sky: American military aircraft have been using Canadian airspace to refuel on their way to the Middle East, backed by a long-standing NORAD agreement that does not require the U.S. to ask permission from Canada to do so.

Strait of Hormuz: On Saturday, President Donald Trump warned that the U.S. will “obliterate” Iranian power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says the strait would be “completely closed” if an attack against them were to happen.

Lebanon: Yesterday, Israel expanded its attacks to target bridges in the south of Lebanon, which President Joseph Aoun called “a prelude to a ground invasion.” Israel said Hezbollah is using the bridges to move fighters and weapons into the south. Lebanese authorities say Israel’s strikes have killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than one million.

What’s next: The war on Iran has scrambled global markets and disrupted energy supplies, but it now also threatens one of the world’s largest migration routes: that of workers from South and Southeast Asia to the Persian Gulf region. Neha Bhatt and James Griffiths have the story.

Outlier: The Greek shipping tycoon willing to take his chances in the Strait of Hormuz

Opinion: The consequence of Trump’s war on Iran is a still-metastasizing military disaster

The latest: The notwithstanding clause is at the centre of one of the biggest top court cases in the four-plus decades since the enactment of the Charter of Rights. At the Supreme Court’s hearings on Quebec’s Bill 21, that constitutional consensus of the 1980s faces a 21st-century test. At the heart of the decision will be questions of what limits, if any, there are on governments’ powers to quash the rights and freedoms of Canadians.

What’s next: Most cases at the top court are heard on a single day. Two days is a long hearing. Bill 21 will be heard over four days. The court will tackle the case starting today.

Opinion: The constitutional challenge to Bill 21 is one of the most important cases in Charter history – and the Supreme Court’s ruling could alter the essence of Canadian federalism for generations to come.

The latest: Few mega-trips ever make it past the idea stage. Now, as geopolitical realities redraw the map of our daydreams around travel, The Globe set out to help readers make the planning process a little easier. Our editors spent months hand-picking experiences and The Globe’s data team combined these insights into a virtual travel assistant. The result is this interactive database of bucket-list itineraries for different travel tastes and budgets.

What’s next: Give the tool a whirl, then read what Canadians had to say about budgeting for their own bucket-list trips. Before you go, get inspiration from our writers’ bucket-list-worthy trips, including