At least five killed in militant attack on Iranian police

Sunni militants attacked two police cars in southeast Iran on Tuesday, killing at least five police officers and wounding one, Iranian state TV reported. (AFP/File)
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Updated 09 April 2024
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At least five killed in militant attack on Iranian police

  • Jaish Al-Adl says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for ethnic minority Baluchis
  • It has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent years

DUBAI: Sunni militants attacked two police cars in southeast Iran on Tuesday, killing at least five police officers and wounding one, Iranian state TV reported.
The Jaish Al-Adl group claimed the attack, which took place in Sistan-Baluchestan province a few days after it assaulted two Revolutionary Guards’ headquarters in the same region and killed 11 security personnel.
Semi-official Tasnim news agency said the police officers were on their way back from transporting a suspect in the killing of a police officer who was shot last month during a drug busting mission.
Jaish Al-Adl says it seeks greater rights and better living conditions for ethnic minority Baluchis in Shiite-dominated Iran. It has claimed responsibility for several attacks in recent years on Iranian security forces in Sistan-Baluchestan.
The area, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, has long been the site of frequent clashes between Iranian security forces and Sunni militants as well as drug traffickers.
Iran is a key transit route for narcotics smuggled from Afghanistan to the West and elsewhere.


Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs

Updated 17 February 2026
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Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs

  • The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint

JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound.
Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.
Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and in the surrounding area.
He said thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers, which draw the largest crowds of Muslim worshippers.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
He did not say whether age limits would apply, adding that the final number of people would be decided by the government.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said in a separate statement it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55 and women over 50, mirroring last year’s criteria.
It said Israeli authorities had blocked the Islamic Waqf — the Jordanian?run body administering the site — from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week before Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint.
Under long?standing arrangements, Jews may visit the compound — which they revere as the site of their second temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD — but they are not permitted to pray there.
Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.
Braverman reiterated Monday that no changes were planned.
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far?right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.