In a statement released on Tuesday, Rabinowitz said Jerusalem was “a global symbol of holiness” and called any attack near sacred sites a serious violation.

“Jerusalem is a global symbol of holiness; harming the area in which the sacred sites of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are located is a grave act that has no place,” he said.

His remarks came after debris fell on Monday evening in parts of Jerusalem’s Old City, one of the most religiously and politically sensitive areas in the world.

The nearby Western Wall is Judaism’s holiest prayer site, while the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is revered by Christians as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and burial.

Rabinowitz said holy places should not be targeted in war. “The whole world recognizes that holy places must remain outside any conflict,” he said.

“Both the State of Israel and the United States make every effort to avoid harming holy sites in Iran and Lebanon, and it is regrettable that the Iranian regime fires toward areas in Jerusalem that contain sacred places for Judaism, Islam, and Christianity,” he added.

He ended his statement with a prayer for calm and for the safety of Jerusalem residents, Israeli civilians, and security personnel:

“We pray for quiet, for the well-being of the residents of Jerusalem and the State of Israel, for the safety of IDF soldiers and the security forces, and for the preservation of the sanctity of the city of Jerusalem.”

The statement framed the incident as part of the broader danger posed when regional conflict reaches Jerusalem, a city whose religious significance gives any attack near its holy sites global resonance.

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem condemned the “radical Islamic regime in Iran for its reckless and malicious actions in launching hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at civilian populations in Israel and around the entire Middle East,” on Tuesday.

ICEJ also denounced Iran’s “deliberate targeting of Jerusalem, which has endangered not only many lives here but also the city’s revered religious heritage sites,” adding it was shocked to learn of a large piece of missile debris landing next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with smaller parts falling on Temple Mount.

These come “on the heels of Iranian missile strikes that have damaged and destroyed synagogues and other sacred sites in Israel and throughout the region,” ICEJ added.

“This all demonstrates that we indeed are witnessing a conflict between the civilized world and the forces of barbarism, led by the Iranian regime and its regional terror network. We call on all peoples and nations to condemn the contemptible actions and tactics of the Iranian regime,” ICEJ stated.

“We also expect Christians everywhere, including the Bishops and Patriarchs of Jerusalem, to condemn Iran for deliberately targeting Jerusalem and endangering its residents and sacred sites. Finally, we keep praying for the Iranian regime’s downfall, especially for the sake of the vast majority of the Iranian people who want to be free from the brutal and repressive clerical leadership in Tehran,” the organization’s statement concluded.