In Najaf, parts of the most sacred Shiite site in Iraq, the Imam Ali shrine, was damaged today in fighting between the U.S. and backers of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr. The inner gate of the shrine, which leads to the tomb of Imam Ali, appears to have been hit by a projectile. Imam Ali was the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law and he is the most revered saint among Shiite Muslims. Al Jazeera is broadcasting images of a torn veil covering the door to the inner shrine and damage on the walls nearby. Several people were injured in the mosque compound as well. Outside hundreds of Shiite Iraqis protested the destruction.