Photo by
Elran Zavati/TPS-IL on 1 March, 2026
Iranian Warhead Falls Hundreds of Meters from Temple Mount
Jerusalem, 1 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- An Iranian missile warhead landed in an open area just a few hundred meters from Jerusalem’s Old City holy sites, the Israel Police said on Sunday. Nobody was injured because of restrictions placed on public gatherings, including on the Temple Mount and the Western Wall Plaza.
Lt. Col. Dvir Tamim, commander of the police’s David Region, warned that the incident could have had catastrophic consequences. “Home Front Command guidelines save lives,” Tamim said. “Yesterday we received further proof that from the enemy’s perspective, all targets are legitimate, and if that warhead had deviated by a few hundred meters, it is very possible that a very serious attack would have occurred.”
Police reported that after an explosion was heard and smoke was seen rising near the Old City, security forces conducted extensive searches and identified an Iranian missile warhead along with additional incendiary and explosive materials scattered nearby. The devices were neutralized at the scene and transferred to police laboratories for further examination.
The impact occurred with the opening of coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.
All holy sites in the Old City remain closed to worshippers and visitors under Home Front Command emergency guidelines, authorities said. The Israel Police urged the public to avoid the area, stressing that the closures are intended to protect lives during ongoing hostilities.
Tamim added, “Especially if one of the holy sites had been hit while it was full of worshippers and visitors, the results could have been devastating. We will continue to enforce the guidelines to protect the public.”
The Islamic month of Ramadan always sees a surge in Arab worshippers on the Temple Mount, especially on Fridays.
The Temple Mount, where the First and Second Jewish Temples were built, is the holiest site in Judaism.
The delicate status quo governing the Temple Mount goes back to 1967, with Israel maintaining overall sovereignty and responsibility for security at the holy site. However, the Islamic Waqf, a religious trusteeship overseen by the Jordanian monarchy, administers the Temple Mount’s daily affairs.
According to the status quo, while non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Temple Mount, they are not permitted to pray there.
Rabbis are increasingly divided over Jews ascending the Temple Mount. For centuries, the widespread rabbinic consensus was that Jewish laws of ritual purity still apply to the site, restricting Jews from visiting. But in recent years, a growing number of rabbis have argued that ritual purity laws don’t apply to all sections of the holy site and encourage visits to permitted areas to maintain Jewish connections to the Temple Mount.
According to Beyadenu, a Jerusalem-based non-profit, 68,429 Jews ascended the Temple Mount, a 22% increase compared to last year’s 56,057.
