On Friday afternoon, a rare incident occurred in Jerusalem. A warhead carrying dozens of kilograms of explosives from an Iranian missile, intercepted above the city, dispersed and exploded in the Old City, just a few hundred meters from the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The fall happened shortly before the start of Shabbat and during the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Under normal circumstances, the area would have been crowded with worshippers, both Jewish and Muslim. However, due to Home Front Command restrictions banning gatherings, the Temple Mount was closed, leaving the area largely empty and preventing what could have been a far more severe disaster.
One of the few people near the impact site was Mahdi Siam, a 22-year-old Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem. He is known to security forces as an activist involved in disturbances, linked to ongoing disputes in his neighborhood over properties that were owned by Jews before 1948 and are now inhabited by Palestinians.
Describing the moment when interception debris fell near him as he passed close to the Dung Gate, Siam held the large metal fragment in his hand and said: “We were outside when suddenly we heard a massive explosion in the sky, something we had never heard before. I looked up and it felt like the sky was opening. Before I could move, a huge, burning piece of metal flew straight at me. I felt a strong hit to my head and burning all over my body.”
“I fell to the ground and didn’t understand what happened. I thought this was it, the end,” he added.
Siam pointed blame at Iran: “What’s frustrating is that they say they are doing this for us, for Jerusalem. But their debris is falling on us here, near the mosque. Their missile doesn’t ask if you are Arab or Jewish, it just hits whatever is in its path. I was lucky to survive. It could have ended with my death and the children who were there.”
Who is Mahdi Siam and what is his background in Silwan clashes?
Siam belongs to the Siam clan, one of the largest and most prominent families in the Silwan neighborhood. The family has been involved in long and bitter disputes with the Elad organization over properties that were owned by Jews before the 1948 war.
Siam himself has taken part in these struggles and is known to security forces. He has been arrested several times for participating in violent disturbances in Silwan. The main charges against him included stone-throwing and launching fireworks directly at Jewish residents’ homes and at Border Police forces.
In a past indictment, he was described as attacking police officers during an attempted arrest of another suspect in the neighborhood, causing injuries to security personnel.
Currently, Siam is facing legal proceedings at the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court for his involvement in the “Ramadan 2025” events. He has been charged with rioting, attempted aggravated assault and disturbing public order.
The neighborhood mukhtar, Dawood Siam, spoke to Palestinian media shortly after the interception debris fell, expressing shock and anger toward Iran: “The Iranians don’t care about us. This missile fell just 350 meters from Al-Aqsa Mosque. They talk about ‘liberating Jerusalem’, but in reality they almost destroyed our holy site and injured our children. The explosion could have brought down Al-Aqsa in seconds. This proves they are playing with our blood for their own interests.”
