Witnesses told the Palestinian news agency WAFA that Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa compound after dawn prayers on Friday, expelled worshippers, and sealed the mosque’s gates. Local sources said it was the first time the site had been fully emptied and closed by Israeli forces since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The closure coincided with a sweeping military lockdown across the West Bank. Israeli forces shut down checkpoints, sealed gates, and blocked roads with earth mounds, restricting movement between towns and cities.
All Palestinian towns remain under lockdown until further notice, according to Israeli media.
Israeli reports said the military delayed the start of the lockdown until the air assault on Iran had begun, to avoid tipping off Tehran. Once the attack was underway, Israeli forces moved quickly to impose control across the West Bank.
The Israeli army said separately that it was reinforcing troop deployments in the north and preparing to defend or launch operations “if needed.”
The heightened security measures follow Israeli strikes that killed senior Iranian officials and targeted nuclear infrastructure, including the Natanz enrichment facility. Iran has vowed a strong response and accused the United States of supporting the operation, a claim Washington denies.
The situation remains volatile, with fears of wider regional escalation involving Iranian allies. Hezbollah has said it will not participate in retaliatory attacks, but condemned the Israeli strikes as a dangerous provocation.
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