Israel planning to raze Al-Aqsa to build ‘second temple’

June 25, 2013

Ramallah, Jun 25: Israeli authorities on Monday began new excavations near Al-Aqsa Mosque Complex in occupied Jerusalem, a Palestinian foundation said.

The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage said that the Israeli authorities began the excavations in the southern part of Al-Magharebah Gate, the eastern part of the Umayyad palaces and at the entrance of the Wadi Hilweh neighborhood. The three sites are located in Jerusalem’s Old City.

The foundation said that its inspection teams documented the new excavations in the three sites. It added that these excavations take place at night and are covered with tents and plastic sheets.

It warned that the use of huge machines in the excavation work in the area puts in serious danger the foundations of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It added that the Israeli will build in the sites several facilities, including synagogue for women, restroom facilities, police station, tourists’ centers, a network of bridges and iron stairs.

The foundation stressed that goal of excavations “is to Judaize Jerusalem and the collapse of Al-Aqsa Mosque to build the so-called second temple on ruins of it.”

It described the Israeli move as “a theft and piracy against the Islamic civilization and culture.”

On May, Israel called off a planned visit by a technical delegation from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to inspect conservation work in Jerusalem’s Old City, saying that the Palestinians had “politicized” the delegation.

The UN body said in a statement at the time that the mission’s goals were to “examine the state of conservation of the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls, a World Heritage site.” The Old City of Jerusalem was placed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage sites in 1981.

The mission was to present its report and recommendations before the beginning of the World Heritage Committee’s annual meeting on June 1. The delegation was supposed to arrive as part of a deal between Israel and the Palestinians in April whereby Israel would let the delegation tour the Old City, and the Palestinians would postpone five anti-Israel resolutions pending before the body.

The five resolutions dealt with the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, the Al-Magharebah Bridge, Bethlehem, Hebron and Gaza. Under the deal, Israel agreed to attend a UNESCO meeting to be held in June in Paris to discuss the Al-Magharebah Bridge.

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Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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