Clashes rock mosque compound in Jerusalem

Palestinians clashed with Israeli police officers at a Jerusalem flashpoint, the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, on Sunday just hours before the start of the Jewish New Year, police and witnesses said.

The clashes came with tensions running high after last week's directive from Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon banning two Muslim groups that frequently confront Jewish visitors to the compound, which is holy to both faiths.

Palestinian witnesses said the police entered the mosque, Islam's third-holiest site, and caused damage. The police said only that they closed the doors to the mosque to lock in rioters throwing stones, fire-works and other objects.