LONDON: Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound with a group of settlers, calling it a “blatant violation” and a “provocation to Muslims worldwide.”

In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry said Ben-Gvir and the settlers stormed the compound under the protection of Israeli security forces.

The ministry said the Kingdom rejects the provocative practices and the illegal, extremist acts of incitement and violence by Israeli officials against Palestinians and holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territories.

It urged the international community to act to stop such violations, saying they breach international law and international humanitarian law.

Ben-Gvir toured the compound’s courtyards amid a heavy security presence on Sunday, Palestinian media reported. The move came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

It was the second time in recent weeks that Ben-Gvir had entered the compound and appeared to perform Talmudic prayers in its eastern section.