Israel: Arrests during tension outside Al-Aqsa mosque

Israeli security forces arrested several Muslim faithful outside the Al-Aqsa mosque early Sunday at the start of celebrations marking the three-day Eid al-Fitr holiday.

It was not immediately clear why the arrests were made.

Most restrictions have been lifted in Jerusalem, but the Al-Aqsa mosque compound had been due to remain closed until after the holiday, which comes at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

An Associated Press cameraman at the scene said the faithful tried to enter the compound but were prevented by the security forces.

The mosque is built on top of the site which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa compound and Jews as Temple Mount.

The site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

(Representative Image) (Image Credit Pixabay)