UN warns Jerusalem clashes could ignite Mideast violence

Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians at a Jerusalem holy site could spark more widespread violence in the region, a UN envoy warned today.

UN coordinator Nickolay Mladenov delivered the warning to the Security Council on the third straight day of violence at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

"As the Middle East faces a vicious tide of terror and extremism, such serious provocations have the potential to ignite violence well beyond the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem," Mladenov said.