The Jerusalem authorities said the demolition of the building was based on a 2014 court order, and that “the land on which the structure stood is zoned for leisure and sports uses and construction, not for residential purposes”.

Jerusalem has previously insisted that demolitions are carried out to address illegal construction, but human right activists have rejected that argument and pointed out that Palestinians have a hard time obtaining building permits due to Israel's restrictive planning policies.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority called the building's destruction part of a systematic policy aimed at emptying the city of its original inhabitants.

At least 3 people were killed Monday in an Israeli attack near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. The victims were likely members of the Hezbollah movement. Analysts are worried that Israel will resume attacks on Lebanon to suppress Hezbollah.