THE AL-AQSA Mosque, the third-holiest site in the world for Muslims, was ablaze at the same time as an inferno gripped the Notre Dame cathedral.

The blaze broke out on Monday evening around the same time as Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral burned.

The fire was “quickly extinguished”, Israeli police said, adding the cause was being investigated.

Footage of the incident shows smoke filling the street as bright flame flicker and people cry out in surprise.

Parisians were also shaken last night as the inferno tore apart the iconic structure – with the spire collapsing into the abyss of the flames.

Fortunately, the Mosque fire did not cause major damage to the iconic structure, but it did endanger a part that is over 2,000 years old.

The Waqf religious organisation which oversees the site said the fire burned a guard’s room above what is known as the Marwani prayer room.

It said the fire was caused by youths playing with fire, without providing further details.

The Jerusalem compound is holy to both Muslims and Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.

It is considered the third-holiest site in Islam and the holiest in Judaism.