To encroach on the holy: can Israel destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque
The news has spread online that the Israeli government is planning to blow up the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three main shrines in the Muslim world. Due to the escalated Iranian-Israeli conflict in the Middle East, the message was received ambiguously: some believe that this is a provocation, while others believe in the truthfulness of such a scenario. Where this dangerous idea came from is in the Izvestia article.
What happened
At the height of the month of Ramadan, Israel closed one of the main shrines of the Muslim world, the Al—Aqsa Mosque, and the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Access to these places has been restricted for believers since the beginning of the armed actions of Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). The authorities justified the ban due to the particular tension in the region and the need to comply with security measures.
After the incident, a joint statement was published on the website of the Turkish Foreign Ministry: "The Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates condemn the continued closure of the gates of the Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif Mosque by the Israeli occupation authorities for Muslim believers."
The text notes that restrictions on access to the Old City of Jerusalem and places of worship are a gross violation of international law and the historical status quo.
A few days after the closure of the shrines on the Temple Mount, Israeli police reported that "a warhead from an Iranian ballistic missile", as well as "incendiary and explosive materials" were found near the Old City of Jerusalem. The Israeli Foreign Ministry immediately issued a statement on the matter.
"The Iranian regime is firing rockets at Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. One of the bombs landed a few hundred meters from the Old City, the Western Wall, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Protecting the lives and safety of believers is above all else. That is why prayers in all holy places have been temporarily suspended," the ministry wrote on the social network X.
Meanwhile, according to other information, the Iranian missile was not accidentally "spotted" near the world's shrines. Sources close to the Iranian intelligence services clarified that the Israeli authorities are probably thinking about conducting a "false flag operation" and destroying Al-Aqsa, blaming the Islamic Republic and the allied forces of the Axis of Resistance. According to available data, the scenario can be implemented using missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition, we are talking about the possible evacuation of residents from areas located near the Old Town.
The American conservative journalist Tucker Carlson added fuel to the fire. In his online show, he showed a short video featuring Israeli Rabbi Yosef Mizrahi, which describes a scenario in which Iran "launches" a missile attack on Al-Aqsa. The online reception of the clip was mixed: some believed in the truthfulness of the "operation", while others accused the political observer of spreading disinformation and "exacerbating the geopolitical crisis in the Middle East."
It's scary to think
The news about the possible bombing of Al-Aqsa is not the first religious scandal involving the third most important Muslim shrine. On the night of April 4-5, 2023, Israeli police broke into the mosque because groups of Palestinian youth had barricaded themselves there, planning to disrupt the visit of ultra-Orthodox Jews to the Temple Mount to read prayers. According to the current status quo, Jews are not allowed to conduct religious ceremonies where Al-Aqsa is located.
Experts believe that not everyone in Israel supports the idea of destroying the mosque. This idea is mainly relevant for the far-right ruling class, which is now largely in power and is actively supported by religiously minded politicians from the administration of US President Donald Trump.
American right-wing political blogger Benny Johnson, who supports Israel, also spoke out on this issue, accusing Iran of "bombing the Temple Mount." According to him, this was done in order to set up the entire Middle East region against Israel.
"The fact is that it (Al-Aqsa) can be destroyed as a result of an attack or provocation. Iran could really target this place if it wanted to destroy the mosque. It seems crazy, but if they destroyed it, they would set the entire Muslim world against Israel... <...> According to Jewish and Christian tradition, in order for the "last days" to come, this mosque must be destroyed. The third temple will be rebuilt," Johnson said.
The Third Temple in Jerusalem is a key eschatological goal in Judaism, involving the construction of a sanctuary on the Temple Mount (on the site of the destroyed First and Second Temples). This event is associated with the coming of the Messiah (Mashiach) and the beginning of the age of peace. However, the project faces political and religious obstacles precisely because of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which "interferes" with construction.
Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu actively supports the idea of building a Third Temple, and also promotes the concept of a "Greater Israel," according to which the country should return "historical sites from the Nile to the Euphrates." His thoughts resonate with many on the American right.
For example, the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, stated in an interview with Tucker Carlson that the Jewish state has a biblical right to almost the entire territory, including present-day Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, parts of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. He referred to the 15th chapter of Genesis, which describes God's dialogue with Abraham about the gift of this piece of land. "It would be good if they (Israel. — Ed.) they took everything (the entire Middle East — Ed.)," the politician said.
Recently, a video appeared on the Web showing a "divine service." In the footage, Donald Trump is sitting in the Oval Office, two women have laid hands on him (one of whom is Paula White, the religious adviser to the American leader), and men are praying around him. It is claimed that the US president invited pastors and leaders of evangelical churches to offer a collective prayer for him and for the success of American troops in the operation against Iran.
The roots of prayer grow from biblical prophecies. According to the evangelicals, God will destroy the coalition attacking Israel, which includes Persia. Then there will be Armageddon, the great battle of the forces of good and evil, which will take place in the Promised Land, and after the victory, the second coming of Christ and His millennial kingdom are expected. In this context, it is worth clarifying that in the last election, 20% of the votes for Trump were given by white evangelicals.
Among the ardent supporters of the war against Iran is the head of the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth. In early March, in an interview with CBS News, he noted that in this armed conflict, the United States is ready to go "as far as necessary."
"This is a war. This is a conflict. This means that you need to bring the enemy to his knees. <...> I want the audience to understand that this is just the beginning," he stressed.
The US Secretary of Defense is often called Trump's "main crusader": the body of the former participant in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is covered with tattoos, the contents of which Hagseth revealed in an interview.
Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth
"It says on my bicep: 'Deus Vult' — 'God wills it,' that was the Crusader motto... There's a Jerusalem cross all over my chest. Israel, Christianity and my faith are what I hold dear!" he said.
The theme of the holy war is so personal for Hegseth that in 2020, the head of the Pentagon even published a book, The American Crusade, in which he linked foreign policy strategy and the "cultural wars" in his homeland.
In this regard, it should be noted that in the wake of anti-Israeli sentiments, part of American society considers a potential attack on Al-Aqsa to be a joint plan of the Israeli government and individual representatives of the American political elite who are convinced of their religious correctness. At the same time, it's easy enough to imagine the reaction of the Muslim world if this plan is implemented.
— Poll statistics clearly show a negative trend for Israel: the attitude towards the Jewish state among Americans is changing for the worse. And this applies not only to the pro—Palestinian part of the Democratic electorate, but also to those Republicans (especially from the MAGA movement) who are concerned about the unreasonably large and unconditional support that West Jerusalem enjoys, regardless of which administration runs the country. In the future, this trend has every chance of developing into Americans' rejection of Israel as such," international commentator Andrei Kuzmak shared his opinion with Izvestia.
It means war
The hypothetical scenario in which Israel could destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the Iranian flag provokes an aggressive reaction from the Muslim community. Experts believe that this strike, especially if it is perceived as a deliberate provocation or an attempt at manipulation, will almost instantly lead the current conflict from the plane of geopolitics into a "holy war."
When the conflict becomes religious, it will be more difficult to limit it by diplomatic or military means. Especially now, when smaller-scale actions against Al-Aqsa are considered by analysts as a factor capable of blowing up the situation in Jerusalem and beyond, says Dmitry Brije, an expert on the Middle East.
— I think that in this case, a religious war scenario is quite possible in the Middle East. This is also evidenced by the statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and representatives of the administration of US President Donald Trump. In the end, if the United States loses in this war, and the Americans, at least, will not be able to influence the internal situation in Iran, the case of Iraq or Afghanistan may repeat, the expert concluded.
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