The situation in the Middle East is becoming more tense as anti-Israel protests are growing in several countries on Friday.
According to reports, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Iran to express their anger and solidarity with the Palestinians. They chanted slogans, burned flags and effigies, and clashed with security forces in some places.
The protesters demanded an end to the Israeli airstrikes and blockade on Gaza, and called for the international community to intervene and protect the rights of the Palestinians.
There are tens of thousands in the streets and squares in response to Hamas’ call for a “Day of Rage.”
At the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli police were restricting access only to certain older men, women and children to the hilltop compound for prayers, trying to limit the potential for violence. Only 5,000 worshippers made it into the site, the Islamic endowment that manages the mosque said. On a typical Friday, some 50,000 perform the prayers, the Associated Press reported.
In Beirut, thousands of supporters of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group waved Lebanese, Palestinian and Hezbollah flags, chanting slogans in support of Gaza and calling for “death to Israel.”
The Iranian-backed militant group in neighboring Lebanon has launched sporadic attacks since the Hamas assault, but largely stayed on the sidelines of the war. The international community is becoming ever more polarized as the major powers take sides in support of either Israel or Palestine, a potentially explosive and highly dangerous development.
The anti-Israel protests are expected to continue and spread to other countries in the region, as the conflict shows no sign of abating.
