US Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna says Israeli settlers armed with US-made rifles detained him and other Americans during a visit to the occupied West Bank on Wednesday. Khanna told Reuters that his group’s vehicle was surrounded and the road was blocked while they toured a village that, he said, settlers had destroyed, including a school. He said the settlers detained them for more than an hour and contacted the Israeli military, which he described as intervening after being called.

Khanna’s aide, Cameron Kasky, said the group appealed to the US embassy in Jerusalem for help and that officers who appeared to be police eventually intervened, leading to their release. Multiple outlets report that Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) officers and police arrived and engaged with the settlers to clear the route.

The Israeli military said troops and police dispersed the Israeli civilians after receiving a report that settlers were blocking vehicles near Khirbet Zanuta, a Palestinian hamlet whose residents were displaced following settler raids. The military said vehicles were allowed to continue. Some outlets also report that IDF personnel spoke with settlers and moved a car to reopen the road.