EU says it stands with GCC countries amid Iranian attacks, urges de-escalation

Israel’s prime minister’s office said on Sunday that Iran had repeatedly targeted holy sites in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles in recent days, adding that access to sites in the Old City had been temporarily restricted for safety.

“Iran has repeatedly targeted the holy sites of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem with ballistic missiles,” the statement said, adding that in one strike, missile fragments landed meters from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

"As a result, Israel has temporarily asked worshippers from all faiths not to worship at the holy sites in Jerusalem’s Old City to protect them," the statement added.

The statement said police had prevented Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa from holding mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre earlier on Sunday, citing concerns for his safety.

It added that authorities were preparing a plan to allow church leaders to worship at the site in the coming days, particularly ahead of the week leading up to Easter.

Israel’s ADAMA said its Makhteshim plant in southern Israel was hit by either an Iranian missile or debris from a missile on Sunday, with no injuries reported.

The company said the extent of the damage was not immediately known.

ADAMA, which produces crop protection materials, is part of Syngenta Group, owned by China.

Britain’s defense ministry said on Sunday that Royal Air Force Regiment gunners shot down seven one-way attack drones overnight as UK aircraft continued defensive missions in the region.

“RAF Regiment Gunners took out 7 one-way attack drones overnight,” the ministry said in a statement.

It added that Typhoon and F-35 jets carried out missions over Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, while Wildcat helicopters continued patrols over the eastern Mediterranean.

Kuwait’s defense ministry said on Sunday that 10 members of the armed forces were wounded after a military camp was hit by ballistic missiles and drones detected in the country’s airspace over the past 24 hours.

“One of the armed forces camps was targeted by a number of them, resulting in the injury of 10 personnel, who are receiving necessary treatment, in addition to material damage at the site,” the ministry’s spokesperson said in a statement.

The ministry said it had detected 14 hostile ballistic missiles and 12 drones during the period.

It added that warehouses belonging to a private logistics company were also hit, causing material damage but no casualties.

Iran’s ambassador to Iraq delivered a personal message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to the head of Iraq’s Supreme Islamic Council in Baghdad, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

The ambassador, Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh, met Sheikh Hammam Hamoudi and handed over the message during the meeting, the report said.

The report said the ambassador “appreciated the sincere positions and prominent role of Sheikh Hammam Hamoudi” and praised “the courageous and explicit stance of Najaf’s senior religious authority regarding the US-Israeli aggression.”

It added that he also praised “the remarkable solidarity of the Iraqi people with the Islamic Republic, including financial aid campaigns and supportive marches that had a profound impact on the people of Iran.”