Attack on a mosque in Jerusalem during Eid prayers

During Eid-ul-Fitr prayers, an Iranian missile has fallen a few meters near the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. For the first time in about sixty years, entry to the Old City was prevented, forcing hundreds of Muslim worshippers to perform their Eid prayers from the road outside the city's closed gates.

According to Israel, the missile that fell during the Eid celebrations landed very close to extremely sacred sites belonging to all three religious groups: Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a post on the 'X' social media network that this act clearly demonstrates the true face of the Iranian clerics' so-called religious rule. Amidst warnings of missile attacks, this powerful explosion occurred on Friday in a mountainous area within the Old City, creating a large crater in the ground and scattering debris across the road.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the shock of this explosion was felt very close to the Temple Mount area, and that it confirms Iran is blindly launching attacks with the aim of destroying Israel, regardless of whether the target is a civilian settlement or a holy site. Meanwhile, worshippers have expressed deep regret over the prohibition of entry to the Al-Aqsa Mosque due to security risks from the ongoing conflict with Iran. Palestinian Wajdi Mohammad Shweiki commented to the news agency, stating that the Al-Aqsa Mosque has been taken from them, and that this has turned Ramadan into a very painful and tragic period for the residents of Jerusalem as well as Muslims worldwide.

These strict security measures have been implemented after Israel and the United States jointly launched military operations against Iran on February 28. Accordingly, Israeli authorities have completely closed the three main holy sites in Jerusalem – the Al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christian worshippers, and the Western Wall for Jews – to worshippers.