A man, described as a "terrorist", has been fatally shot after attempting to stab an Israeli soldier at a popular tourist site in Jerusalem.

The incident took place at the Damascus Gate, an entrance to the Old City. The area has been cordoned off.

It is not known whether the attacker was killed.

Unconfirmed reports said police had "shot and neutralised" the man, thought to be a 28-year-old Jordanian, when he ran at them.

Micky Rosenfeld, spokesman for the Israeli Police, tweeted: “Police units responded to attack at Damascus gate. Terrorist was shot & killed.He had 3 knives when carry out attack

This was the first such attack in months, with the level of violence around Jerusalem and the West Bank having dropped to the level it was before the outbreak of a series of stabbings in October 2015.