Israeli forces forced Muslim worshippers out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem following the dawn prayer today and barred them from staying inside before sealing its gates, Wafa reports.

Local sources told Wafa that Israeli police officers stormed the mosque compound after the dawn prayer, forced worshippers out, and then sealed the gates. The sources noted that this marks the first time the mosque has been emptied and closed by Israeli forces since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque coincided with the Israeli military’s announcement of a full lockdown across the West Bank, just hours after Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran,” the report said.

Local sources also reported that Israeli forces shut down dozens of military checkpoints and gates across the West Bank and blocked several secondary roads between towns, villages, and cities with dirt mounds.