Two Separate Barrages – Interception Fragments Near the Temple Mount

Operation “Lion’s Roar”: Interception fragments fell in Palestinian towns adjacent to the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem, near Al-Aqsa

By Aharon Rivka
01/03/2026, 16:12

In two separate barrages of missiles launched from Iran toward Jerusalem since this morning, Sunday, the second day of Operation “Lion’s Roar,” interception fragments fell in Palestinian towns adjacent to the Temple Mount compound. There were no casualties and the property damage was minor. It was a matter of just a few hundred meters, and the fragments could have fallen inside the Temple Mount compound itself, potentially striking Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock.

In one case, a large interception fragment fell onto the roof of a parked car, which was empty of passengers, and penetrated inside. In the second case, a fragment fell onto the balcony of an inhabited building. In both incidents, as noted, there were no casualties. Yesterday, Saturday, on the first day of the operation, the warhead of an Iranian missile struck near the Temple Mount.

Why Was the Temple Mount Closed During Ramadan?

As is known, already yesterday, Saturday morning, at the height of the month of Ramadan, the Temple Mount compound was closed to worshippers, due to the Home Front Command’s ban on mass gatherings in public places. This prevented a major disaster that could have occurred had tens of thousands of worshippers made their way to the compound at the time the fragments fell.

The Jerusalem District Police stated: “Just a few hundred meters from the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem, an Iranian missile warhead struck with force in an open area.

“Yesterday, with the launch of Operation ‘Lion’s Roar,’ Jerusalem District police officers and bomb disposal experts operated to scan locations where munitions items were identified as having fallen within the district. Following the sound of an explosion and the identification of smoke rising from an open area located just a few hundred meters from the holy sites in the Old City, officers and sappers began extensive searches, during which they located an Iranian missile warhead, as well as additional incendiary and explosive materials that had dispersed in the area.

The item was neutralized and handled by Jerusalem District bomb disposal experts, who transferred it for further examination at the police explosives laboratory.”