Occupied Jerusalem, March 12 (QNA) - Israeli occupation forces continued the closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque for the thirteenth consecutive day, preventing prayers from being performed there, citing the security situation related to war in Iran.

The Jerusalem Governorate said in a statement that the occupation prevented worshipers from being present in the mosque under the pretext of declaring a state of emergency, amid a heavy deployment of its forces in its vicinity and at the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem, and preventing citizens from entering its courtyards.

The Jerusalem Governorate warned of the dangerous escalation in the incitement rhetoric led by the so-called extremist Temple organizations against Al-Aqsa Mosque, amid the ongoing closure measures.

Taraweeh prayers and Itikaf during the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan have been prevented at the mosque for the first time since Al-Aqsa's occupation in 1967, coinciding with a heavy deployment of occupation forces around Al-Aqsa and the gates of the Old City, preventing Palestinians from entering its courtyards, and the continued closure of shops in the markets of the Old City. (QNA)