Israel's Foreign Ministry accuses Iran of attacks on Jerusalem's holy sites
The head of Israel’s Foreign Ministry told Patriarch Theophilos about deliberate attacks following the fall of missile debris near a monastery next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
On March 17, 2026, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar stated that Iran deliberately targeted religious sites in Jerusalem during a telephone conversation with Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III, reports Orthodoxia News Agency.
As noted, as a result of Iran's missile attack on Jerusalem, fragments of missiles and interceptors fell in the Old City near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – one of the main shrines of the Christian world. In particular, shell fragments damaged the roof of a Greek Orthodox monastery located nearby.
According to Sa'ar, Iran strikes civilian and religious sites that are significant to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. It is also reported that debris was recorded in the area of the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry emphasized that "nothing is sacred to this regime" and expressed concern about the threat to religious and cultural monuments of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that Netanyahu hopes that Israel will hold out in the war until the Messiah's coming.
