Israel Police Say Shrapnel from Missiles, Interceptors Fell in Jerusalem Holy Sites

 A drone view shows part of an Iranian missile that landed on a building's roof, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in East Jerusalem March 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows part of an Iranian missile that landed on a building's roof, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in East Jerusalem March 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israel Police Say Shrapnel from Missiles, Interceptors Fell in Jerusalem Holy Sites

 A drone view shows part of an Iranian missile that landed on a building's roof, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in East Jerusalem March 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A drone view shows part of an Iranian missile that landed on a building's roof, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in East Jerusalem March 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli police said they found missile and interceptor fragments at holy sites in Jerusalem's Old City on Monday, including areas near the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

"During the recent missile salvo fired from Iran toward Jerusalem, several intercepts occurred over the city," the police said.

Following the interceptions, police located "fragments of missiles and interceptor debris, some of significant size, at multiple sites in the Old City, including the Temple Mount complex, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher complex, and the Jewish Quarter", they added.

The force shared photos showing debris on a roof near the Holy Sepulcher church, a cordon set up in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the smashed windscreen of a car.

"This incident underscores that the enemy does not distinguish between religions or places of worship -- synagogues, mosques, or churches," the police statement said.

The Old City is located in east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in 1967 and later annexed in a move that is not internationally recognized.

It houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site; the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Christians hold that Christ was crucified, entombed and resurrected; and the Western Wall, considered the holiest site where Jews are allowed to pray.

AFP journalists also saw missile debris that had hit the roof of a residential building in east Jerusalem.

A cylinder about one meter in diameter and several meters long protruded from the tiled roof of the three-story building as first responders inspected the damage.

No injuries or deaths were reported in Jerusalem.



Russian FM to Visit China April 14-15

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
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Russian FM to Visit China April 14-15

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow, Russia April 3, 2026. (Pavel Bednyakov/Pool via Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit China this week, Beijing said on Monday, as the two sides hope to boost cooperation.

"Russia's foreign minister Lavrov will pay an official visit to China from April 14 to 15," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference.

Lavrov will hold talks with China's top diplomat Wang Yi in which the two will "exchange views and coordinate positions on the development of bilateral relations, cooperation in various fields, and international and regional issues of common concern", Guo said.

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement that the pair would discuss the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

Beijing and Moscow are close economic and political partners, and the relationship has deepened further since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Wang held a call with Lavrov on April 5, when the pair agreed Beijing and Moscow would work together to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.


China Calls Reports It Supplied Weapons to Iran ‘Baseless Smears’

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun answers a journalist's question during a press briefing in Beijing, China, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun answers a journalist's question during a press briefing in Beijing, China, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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China Calls Reports It Supplied Weapons to Iran ‘Baseless Smears’

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun answers a journalist's question during a press briefing in Beijing, China, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun answers a journalist's question during a press briefing in Beijing, China, January 7, 2025. (Reuters)

China on Monday called reports it had supplied or intended to supply weapons to Iran "baseless smears", after several outlets quoted US intelligence sources to that effect.

"China has always adopted a cautious and responsible attitude towards the export of military items, implementing strict controls in accordance with its own export control laws and regulations and its international obligations. We oppose baseless smears or malicious association," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing.


Iran Military Says US Naval Blockade 'Illegal' and 'Piracy'

FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo
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Iran Military Says US Naval Blockade 'Illegal' and 'Piracy'

FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo/File Photo

Iran's military said a US naval blockade set to begin on Monday would be illegal and amount to piracy, warning that no Gulf ports would be safe if its own were threatened.

"The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy," said a statement issued by the Iranian military's central command center, Khatam Al-Anbiya, that was read on state television.

The statement added that if the security of Iran’s ports in the water of the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Arabian Gulf or Arabian sea will be safe.