Clashes at Al-Aqsa Mosque lead to shelling of Israel

Riots around the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem have led to an outbreak of violence between Israel and opposing groups. On April 6, Israel began to fire unguided rockets from Lebanese territory (34 rockets were launched – the most massive attack since 2006), the day before – from the Gaza Strip. The conflict at the mosque came after calls by Jewish far-right activists to hold a ritual sacrifice at the beginning of the Passover holiday on the Temple Mount, where Al-Aqsa is located. Upon learning of this, the Palestinians barricaded themselves in the mosque and refused to leave it. According to the Israeli police, Palestinians with rocket launchers, stones and iron bars sat in the mosque and were waiting for Jewish pilgrims to attack them. The Israeli police claimed that they tried to persuade people to leave the mosque peacefully, but after the refusal they were forced to remove the crowd by force, using tear gas and stun grenades, and they, in turn, resisted by throwing stones and firecrackers. Jewish religious radicals were also stopped by the police on their way to the Temple Mount.

On the evening of April 6, Israeli law enforcement officers published a statement on their Twitter, in which they promised “not to allow the mosque to be turned into a warehouse of weapons and a fortified place for hostilities.” The clashes take place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (from March 23 to April 21) and the Jewish holiday of Pesach (April 5-13).