The warhead of an Iranian ballistic missile struck a site just several dozen meters from the Old City of Jerusalem and only several hundred meters from the Western Wall and the Temple Mount on Saturday, February 28, Israeli police announced on Sunday, March 1. An explosion was heard, and smoke was seen rising from just west of the Old City shortly after the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion. The impact site was identified as the Sultan’s Pool outdoor events venue, located just under a kilometer west of the Temple Mount.
Police sappers from the Jerusalem District neutralized the warhead at the scene. The Old City of Jerusalem is home to some of the most important holy sites in the world, including the Western Wall and the Temple Mount — the holiest sites in Judaism — as well as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, believed by Christians to be the site of the crucifixion of Jesus. Magen David Adom confirmed that three people were wounded, including a 46-year-old man moderately hurt by shrapnel and two others lightly injured.
Police commander Dvir Tamir warned that the near-miss proved that all targets are legitimate from the enemy’s perspective. Had the warhead deviated by a few hundred meters, he said, a very serious hit could have occurred — particularly if one of the holy places had been struck while full of worshipers and visitors. The incident underscored the indiscriminate nature of Iran’s retaliatory missile barrages, which have struck residential and sacred areas throughout central Israel.
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