Israel police confirmed Monday that fragments from intercepted Iranian missiles fell across several of the world’s most sacred religious sites in Jerusalem’s Old City.
The debris rained down following a massive aerial barrage striking areas near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Jewish Quarter.
Authorities reported that while the city’s sophisticated defense system blocked a direct catastrophe, “fragments of missiles and interceptors debris, some of significant size,” were recovered from multiple sensitive locations.
Photos released by police showed shrapnel on a roof near the Holy Sepulchre and a security cordon inside the Al-Aqsa compound.
Military officials condemned the strikes stating that the barrage put millions of believers at risk. In a formal statement, the Israeli police noted:
“This incident underscores that the enemy does not distinguish between religions or places of worship – synagogues, mosques or churches.”
The Foreign Ministry added that the “Iranian regime is launching missiles toward Jerusalem, the city sacred to billions of believers,” during the holy month of Ramadan.
Fortunately, no deaths were reported in the Old City, though officials warned that if a warhead “had deviated by a few hundred meters, it is very possible that a very serious hit would have occurred.”
