Missile strike lands near Temple Mount as Iran targets Jerusalem

Missile strike lands near Temple Mount as Iran targets Jerusalem

ynet

Smoke was seen rising over Jerusalem on Friday after an Iranian missile barrage, with an impact reported just 350 meters from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Temple Mount, one of the most sensitive sites in the region.

Despite the proximity to the holy compound, Magen David Adom said no injuries had been reported at this stage.

“Police officers from the Jerusalem District, Border Police fighters and bomb disposal units are currently conducting searches to locate impact sites of munitions or interception fragments within the district,” police said in a statement.Just hours before the strike near the Temple Mount, tensions were already high in Jerusalem after Israel kept the Al-Aqsa compound closed to worshippers during Eid al-Fitr, marking the first such closure for the holiday since 1967.

International media, including CNN and The Guardian, highlighted the unprecedented move, noting that tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers are typically allowed access to the site during the holiday marking the end of Ramadan.

The closure, imposed under Home Front Command restrictions banning large gatherings amid the war, drew criticism across the Arab and Muslim world, with officials calling it a violation of the longstanding status quo at the holy site.

On Friday morning, worshippers gathered outside the Old City walls to pray, with some attempting to approach the Muslim Quarter. Clashes were reported as police pushed crowds back and used tear gas in at least two instances, according to AFP.

One Jerusalem resident told The Guardian it was “the saddest day” for Muslims in the city, warning the move could set “a dangerous precedent.”

Emergency services reported multiple impact sites, including in the city of Rehovot, where a home caught fire and several vehicles were damaged. A man and a woman were lightly injured, apparently from blast effects, and taken to Kaplan Medical Center. In a separate incident, a 70-year-old woman was moderately injured while making her way to a protected space.

Sirens sounded across wide swaths of the country throughout the day, including in the Galilee north of the Sea of Galilee, central Israel, Jerusalem, the Dan region, the Shfela, Lachish and parts of the Negev. Some of the missiles were believed to carry separating warheads, according to authorities.

Parallel launches toward northern Israel fell in open areas, consistent with official assessments.

The Israel Defense Forces said sirens were triggered in waves, with residents repeatedly instructed to enter protected spaces. The military also reported continued operations on multiple fronts, including strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. According to the IDF, more than 2,000 targets have been hit since fighting there began, including command centers, weapons depots and missile launchers.

Amid the ongoing escalation, U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in with a sharply worded post on Truth Social, criticizing NATO allies.

“Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER!” Trump wrote. “They didn’t want to join the fight to stop a Nuclear Powered Iran. Now that fight is Militarily WON, with very little danger for them, they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz… COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!”

The remarks come as tensions extend beyond the battlefield, with global energy markets reacting to fears over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for oil exports.

Despite the intensity of the latest barrages, authorities emphasized that early response systems and public compliance with safety instructions have helped limit casualties in several areas, including Jerusalem

"Sheltering from Oil Shocks.": New IEA report highlights options to ease oil price pressures on consumers in response to Middle East supply disruptions

New IEA report highlights options to ease oil price pressures on consumers in response to Middle East supply disruptions

The International Energy Agency today set out a range of demand-side actions that governments, businesses and households can take to alleviate the economic impacts on consumers of the disruptions to oil markets stemming from the war in the Middle East.

A new IEA report identifies ten measures that can be implemented quickly by governments, businesses and households. These actions focus primarily on road transport, which accounts for around 45% of global oil demand, but also cover aviation, cooking and industry. Widespread adoption, where possible, would amplify their global impact and help cushion the shock.

Governments can lead by example through public sector measures, regulatory action and targeted incentives while ensuring that support for consumers is timed appropriately and focused on those most in need. Experience from previous crises shows that well-targeted support mechanisms are more effective and fiscally sustainable than broad-based subsidies.

Immediate actions to reduce demand:

1. Work from home where possible
Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work.

2. Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10 km/h
Lower speeds reduce fuel use for passenger cars, vans and trucks.

3. Encourage public transport
A shift from private cars to buses and trains can quickly reduce oil demand.

4. Alternate private car access to roads in large cities on different days
Number-plate rotation schemes can reduce congestion and fuel-intensive driving.

5. Increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving practices
Higher car occupancy and eco-driving can lower fuel consumption quickly.

6. Efficient driving for road commercial vehicles and delivery of goods 
Better driving practices, vehicle maintenance and load optimisation can cut diesel use.

7. Divert LPG use from transport 
Shifting bi-fuel and converted vehicles from LPG to gasoline can preserve LPG for cooking and other essential needs.

8. Avoid air travel where alternative options exist
Reducing business flights can quickly ease pressure on jet fuel markets.

9. Where possible, switch to other modern cooking solutions 
Encouraging electric cooking and other modern options can reduce reliance on LPG.

10. Leverage flexibility with petrochemical feedstocks and implement short-term efficiency and maintenance measures 
Industry can help free up LPG for essential uses while reducing oil consumption through quick operational improvements.

"Sheltering from Oil Shocks."

Wei Zhao 

A CRISIS BIGGER THAN CV IS COMING. THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY JUST PUBLISHED THE DOCUMENT THAT PROVES IT. Remember CV lockdowns? "Two weeks to flatten the curve." No driving. No leaving home. No life. That was a warm-up. On March 20, 2026, the IEA published "Sheltering from Oil Shocks." It is the CV lockdown playbook — but for your car, your job, your movement. And this time, there is no vaccine to end it. Here are the 10 things they want governments to DO TO YOU: Work from home — cut your right to move for work. Forever if possible. Lower speed limits by 10+ km/h on ALL highways — your commute, slower, forever. Shift to public transport — private cars are the enemy. Increase carpooling — share your space or don't drive. Car-free Sundays — the government owns one day of your movement per week. Alternating license plate restrictions — odd number? You don't drive today. Cut 40% of business flights globally — your career, their decision. Switch to electric cooking — your kitchen, their mandate. Here is the logic trap: Trump launched the war. → The war closed the Strait of Hormuz. → The oil crisis hit. → IEA releases the lockdown plan. → Governments implement it. → Your freedom is gone. → Trump promised lower energy prices. → His own Energy Secretary says "no guarantees." → The agency Trump called "radical" and threatened to quit is now running your life. The plan is live. The governments are watching. Some will implement it "voluntarily" within weeks. Prepare accordingly.

IDF Strikes Syria: ‘We Will Not Allow The Syrian Regime To Exploit Our War Against Iran To Harm The Druze’

IDF Strikes Syria: ‘We Will Not Allow The Syrian Regime To Exploit Our War Against Iran To Harm The Druze’

Harbingers Daily

The Israeli military said it carried out strikes overnight on Syrian government targets in southern Syria in response to attacks against Druze civilians in the area of Suwayda.

According to the IDF, the strikes targeted a command center and weapons located in military compounds belonging to the Syrian government. The operation followed what the military described as attacks on Druze civilians on Thursday.

Defense Minister Israel Katz commented on the attack, saying, “We will not allow the Syrian regime to exploit our war against Iran and Hezbollah to harm the Druze. If necessary, we will attack with greater force.”

The IDF added that it is continuing to monitor developments in southern Syria and will act in accordance with directives from the political leadership.

Several European Countries Issue Joint Statement: Ready To Contribute To Efforts To Reopen The Strait of Hormuz.

Countries want to contribute to safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz

Sweden Herald

Several European countries said in a joint statement with Japan that they are ready to contribute to efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

"We express our willingness to contribute to appropriate initiatives to ensure safe passage through the strait," reads the statement from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan.

They add that they welcome “the commitment from countries involved in preparedness planning.”

US President Donald Trump, who, together with Israel, started the war that triggered the situation in Hormuz, the other day launched an angry attack on allied countries for not wanting to contribute forces to the Strait of Hormuz.

France has pointed out that it is not a party to the conflict and that it will therefore not participate militarily in Hormuz under the current situation.

Traffic in the strait, through which much of the world's energy supplies pass, has been blocked by Iran in response to Israeli and US attacks.

"We call on Iran to immediately cease its threats, mine laying, drone and missile attacks, and other methods of blocking the strait," the six countries wrote in their statement.

They add that they will also take measures to try to “stabilize energy markets,” including persuading “certain energy-producing countries to increase their production.”

Israel has just set off a chain reaction that will set the Gulf on fire

Israel has just set off a chain reaction that will set the Gulf on fire

RT

By March 19, 2026, the pattern is unmistakable. What began as a war centered on Israel, Iran, Lebanon, and the waters around the Strait of Hormuz has now spilled decisively into the infrastructure heart of the Gulf monarchies.

The most firmly established Iranian strike on Gulf energy infrastructure so far is the missile attack on Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial complex, the largest LNG hub on earth, carried out after Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field. 

At the same time, earlier Iranian retaliatory waves had already hit or endangered critical nodes across the wider Gulf arc, including the Saudi oil center at Ras Tanura, port and fuel infrastructure in the UAE at Jebel Ali, Zayed Port, and Fujairah, as well as military and fuel-related sites in Bahrain. 

Other targets publicly named by Iran or discussed in market reporting, such as Jubail, Samref, Al Hosn, and the Red Sea export route through Yanbu, belong to a second category where threats, interceptions, and partial reporting often run ahead of full independent verification. Yet even in that fog, the strategic message is crystal clear. Iran is no longer merely threatening the energy order of the Gulf. It is testing how far it can break it.

The logic of these strikes is brutally simple. The Gulf monarchies are rich, technologically sophisticated, and heavily armed, but much of their economic life remains concentrated in coastal infrastructure that is difficult to hide, difficult to harden completely, and even harder to restore quickly under fire. Refineries, loading terminals, gas separation plants, desalination systems, export jetties, storage farms, and power networks are not abstract assets on a spreadsheet. They are the circulatory system of the region. Damage them and you do not merely lower output – you threaten electricity, water, transport, state revenues, insurance markets, shipping schedules, and domestic confidence all at once. 

That is why the strike on Ras Laffan mattered so much more than a single explosion on a map. It was a signal that the war had crossed into the one domain Gulf rulers fear most, the domain where geopolitical conflict turns into systemic economic paralysis. Reuters and other reporting also show how even intercepted drones and missiles have caused fires and disruption in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, demonstrating that in this kind of war, a partial interception is not the same thing as security.

Ras Laffan is not just another industrial site. It is the crown jewel of Qatar’s energy model and one of the pillars of the global gas trade. Damage there reverberates far beyond Doha. It reaches power utilities in Asia, gas buyers in Europe, tanker routes, spot prices, inflation expectations, and the strategic calculations of every government that hoped the Gulf would remain the last reliable ballast in a disordered energy world.

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