Because of the Iranian missile attacks on Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque remained closed during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr—for the first time since 1967. Many Jerusalemites had long believed that “Al-Aqsa protects us,” and that this was one reason why the number of Iranian attacks on the city remained comparatively low. Even when Israel was attacked by Iraqi Scud missiles in 1990, the Israeli capital was the safest place in the country. It was like a national shelter, to which large numbers of Tel Aviv residents made their way uphill to seek safety. At the time, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein avoided placing Jerusalem in his missile sights, because even a small error could endanger the Al-Aqsa Mosque. But the ayatollahs in Tehran have turned all the rules upside down.

Leading Arab politicians have so far been restrained in their comments, but on social media a wave of sharp reactions has unfolded after missile fragments landed in the immediate vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The debris fell only around 350 meters from the compound. “Anyone who bombs Mecca does...

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