AMMAN: The excitement in Jerusalem’s Old City began when two trucks belonging to the Israeli-run Jerusalem Municipality arrived to pick up the metal sidings and the hanging scaffolds with cameras that were the latest obstacles to the return of Muslims to pray in their mosque.
Video images of Israelis dismantling metal bars and scaffolding with cameras spread on social media and, within minutes, the Old City of Jerusalem returned to life. Palestinians crowded every gate, even before the Lions’ Gate and Bab Al-Majles were opened. Celebrations and songs filled the air and were immediately broadcast live on various social media networks.
The removal of the metal barriers was the fulfillment of the final condition set by the newly-established Islamic Religious Reference Group for Muslims to return and pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It would still be another 15 hours before proper prayers would commence in Al-Aqsa Mosque. The mosque has been closed since 7 a.m on July 14, a total of 13 days and eight hours. During this period, the faithful continued to carry out their five daily prayers in the streets outside the mosque.
Naser Abu Sharifa, senior guard at the mosque, along with those taking turns outside Bab Al-Majles, waited for a chance to enter and resume their positions in the 144-dunum compound known as Haram Al-Sharif, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. He could not control his excitement.
“Today is a wonderful day that has brought back a sliver of our pride and dignity and allowed us to reunite with our beloved mosque,” he said.
Bernard Sabella, an elected Palestinian member for the Christian seat, told Arab News that the crisis had brought Palestinian Christians and Muslims together in defense of Al-Aqsa Mosque and made sure that Israel understood that its actions had crossed a red line.
“You cannot play with religious sensitivities,” he told Arab News by phone from Jerusalem.
“Such provocations come back like a boomerang and hit you in the face.”
The morning of July 27 began with a visit by the mufti of Jerusalem — detained by the Israelis for a few hours on July 14 — along with the governor of Jerusalem, Adnan Husseini, to Ramallah for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Abbas had received the day before a phone call from King Abdallah of Jordan in which both sides had agreed that Israel must allow everything to return to the status quo before July 14.
The Waqf lawyer, Jamal Abu Toumeh, who was the connection between Israel and the Jordanian Waqf, helped ensure that all sides understood what was agreed to, which paved the way to the understanding that led to the breakthrough. Arab News learned this from a source in Jerusalem’s Waqf.
Upon the return of the mufti from Ramallah, the newly-established Islamic Religious Reference Group held a press conference in which a carefully-worded four-page statement was read out. It began with condolences for those who had been killed and wishes for the recovery of those injured in the past two weeks of protests. Thousands had to endure relentless Israeli security attempts to break up the nonviolent act of prayer on the streets of Jerusalem.
The statement also included praise for all those who stood with Al-Aqsa and the Palestinians and called on all to join them in Asr (afternoon) prayer in Al-Aqsa. As much as they wanted to enter the mosque immediately, both young and old waited until their leaders led the way to a cleared entrance to the mosque and they prayed the afternoon prayer together.
The victory, however, was not left undisturbed by Israel. Although hundreds of Israeli police are deployed in the Old City, Israel said it could not find a mere dozen to man the various gates of Al-Aqsa and therefore, they left them closed.
The young Palestinians who had entered the mosque and prayed would not have any of it and they broke open the doors from inside to the anger of the Israelis who rushed in with tear gas and stun grenades.
Ekrima Sabri, a leading cleric and mosque preacher at Al-Aqsa, told Sky News that Israel could not accept that they had lost this battle and that Palestinian perseverance had won.
All eyes will be on Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning as Friday prayers are set to resume after two weeks.
Old City of Jerusalem returns to life as Israelis back off
Old City of Jerusalem returns to life as Israelis back off
After Israel strikes Iran, airlines divert flights, airspace closed
- Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, state media reported
- Six commercial aircraft have been shot down unintentionally and three nearly missed since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions
SEOUL: Airlines cleared out of the airspace over Israel, Iran and Iraq early on Friday after Israel launched attacks on targets in Iran, Flightradar24 data showed, with carriers scrambling to divert and cancel flights to keep passengers and crew safe.
Proliferating conflict zones around the world are becoming an increasing burden on airline operations and profitability, and more of a safety concern.
Six commercial aircraft have been shot down unintentionally and three nearly missed since 2001, according to aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions.
Israel on Friday said it targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders at the start of what it warned would be a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defense units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.
Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines said it had suspended flights to and from Israel.
Iranian airspace has been closed until further notice, state media reported.
As reports of strikes on Iran emerged, a number of commercial flights by airlines including Dubai’s Emirates, Lufthansa and Air India were flying over Iran.
Emirates, Lufthansa and Air India did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Iraq early on Friday closed its airspace and suspended all traffic at its airports, Iraqi state media reported.
Eastern Iraq near the border with Iran contains one of the world’s busiest air corridors, with dozens of flights crossing between Europe and the Gulf, many on routes from Asia to Europe, at any one moment.
Flights steadily diverted over Central Asia or Saudi Arabia, flight tracking data showed.
“The situation is still emerging — operators should use a high degree of caution in the region at this time,” according to Safe Airspace, a website run by OPSGROUP, a membership-based organization that shares flight risk information.
Several flights due to land in Dubai were diverted early on Friday. An Emirates flight from Manchester to Dubai was diverted to Istanbul and a flydubai flight from Belgrade diverted to Yerevan, Armenia.
Budget carrier flydubai said it had suspended flights to Amman, Beirut, Damascus, Iran and Israel and a number of other flights had been canceled, rerouted or returned to their departure airports.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East since October 2023 led to commercial aviation sharing the skies with short-notice barrages of drones and missiles across major flight paths – some of which were reportedly close enough to be seen by pilots and passengers.
Last year, planes were shot down by weaponry in Kazakhstan and in Sudan. These incidents followed the high-profile downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 and of Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 en route from Tehran in 2020.
Iran’s Khamenei warns Israel faces ‘bitter and painful fate’
TEHRAN: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Israel would suffer severe consequences after launching deadly attacks on the Islamic republic on Friday, including Tehran and nuclear sites.
“With this crime, the Zionist regime has set itself for a bitter and painful fate and it will definitely receive it,” Khamenei said in a statement.
UN nuclear watchdog says ‘closely monitoring’ situation after Israel strikes Iran
VIENNA: The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed Friday that Israeli strikes were targeting an Iranian uranium enrichment site, saying it was “closely monitoring the deeply concerning situation.”
“The IAEA is closely monitoring the deeply concerning situation in Iran. Agency can confirm Natanz site among targets,” International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said in a post on the agency’s X feed, as the IAEA’s board of governors meets this week in Vienna.
“The agency is in contact with Iranian authorities regarding radiation levels. We are also in contact with our inspectors in the country,” he added.
IRGC commander, 2 nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes: Iran state TV
- Khamenei, Revolutionary Guards warn Israel of “harsh punishment” for its attacks
- Dead scientists identified as Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi
RIYADH: Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei confirmed on Friday that several military commanders and scientists were “martyred” in Israeli strikes on Tehran.
In a statement carried on state television, Khamenei warned that Israel will not go unpunished for its attacks.
State television earlier said that Hossein Salami, the chief of the Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was among those killed, along with another top Guard official and two nuclear scientists.
An anchor read a statement saying: “The news of assassination and martyrdom of Gen. Hossein Salami was confirmed.” The anchor did not elaborate.
“The martyrdom of... Major General Gholam Ali Rashid is confirmed,” state television said.
A major power center within Iran’s theocracy, with vast business interests and oversees the nation’s ballistic missile arsenal, the IRGC had been accused by Iran's neighbors of maintaining proxy militias such as the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Al-Hashd al-Shaabi of Iraq.
Iran’s Nournews also reported that Ali Shamkhani, a rear admiral who serves as adviser to Khamenei, was “critically injured.”
State television and local media also reported the death of two scientists working on Iran's nuclear program. They were identified as Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi.
Several children were also reportedly killed in a strike on a residential area in the capital.
Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Israel declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes.
In a recorded video message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that Israel targeted Iranian scientists working on a nuclear bomb, its ballistic missile program and its Natanz uranium enrichment facility, in an operation that he said would continue "for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Netanyahu said, adding that the targeted military operation was meant to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.
An Israeli military official said Israel was striking “dozens” of nuclear and military targets including the facility at Natanz in central Iran. The official said Iran had enough material to make 15 nuclear bombs within days.
Alongside extensive air strikes, Israel’s Mossad spy agency led a series of covert sabotage operations inside Iran, Axios reported, citing a senior Israeli official. These operations were aimed at damaging Iran’s strategic missile sites and its air defense capabilities.
Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport was closed until further notice, and Israel’s air defense units stood at high alert for possible retaliatory strikes from Iran.
“Following the pre-emptive strike by the State of Israel against Iran, a missile and UAV (drone) attack against the State of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate time frame,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
(With Agencies)
Netanyahu says Israel operation against Iran to ‘continue as many days as it takes’
- “We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Netanyahu said in a video message
- Says Israel also targetting scientists working on Iran nuclear weapons
- Iran state TV reported that at least two nuclear scientists were killed in the Israeli strike
JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel’s attack on Iran would “continue for as many days as it takes” after Israel announced it had carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites.
“This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat,” Netanyahu said in a video statement, adding that Israel launched a ‘targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.’
Calling the offensive “Rising Lion,” he said Israel was also targeting Iranian commanders and missile factories, and declared a state of emergency in anticipation of retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Tehran.
“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the recorded video message.
“We struck at the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. We targeted Iran’s main enrichment facility at Natanz... We also struck at the heart of Iran’s ballistic missile program,” he said, adding that Israel had also hit Iranian nuclear scientists “working on the Iranian bomb.”
Iran state TV later reported that nuclear scientists Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi were killed in the Israeli strike.
A witness in Nantanz city said multiple explosions were heard near the facility, and a senior Iranian official told Reuters that the country’s leadership was holding a top security meeting.
