Will Hizbullah avenge Mugniyah killing?
Photo: AFP
World Jews 'not panicking'
Security stepped up at Jewish, Israeli targets worldwide in wake of Mugniyah assassination; Jewish officials aware of danger but feel well-prepared to face growing threat
High alert but no panic: The assassination of Hizbullah commander Imad Mugniyah and subsequent threats directed at Israel by the Lebanese terror group and by Iranian officials led to a heightened state of security at Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide.
However, officials in charge of security at large global Jewish centers are exercising caution but are not panicking.
Even before Hassan Nasrallah declared that the war will be taken out of Lebanon, the Shin Bet ordered a high state of alert at all Israeli embassies, while the Counter-Terrorism Bureau issued a travel advisory for fear of abductions overseas.
High Alert
Roni Sofer and AP
FBI puts anti-terror squads on high alert in wake of Hizbullah commander's assassination; senior official in Jerusalem warns that Israel will view any attack on Jews abroad as anti-Semitic act
Last year, millions of pounds were spent in order to fortify Jewish community buildings in London, Director of Communications of The Community Security Trust Mark Gardner told Ynet. According to Gardner, al-Qaeda threats in recent years prompted a high level of security at synagogues and at Jewish schools.
Gardner said that the recent alert that followed Hizbullah's threats no doubt enhanced the existing threat, but he noted that recently the community was able to reach an understanding with the British government regarding financial assistance for the purpose of school security.
Meanwhile, officials at Israel's London embassy said that the alert level has been boosted in wake of the latest warnings.
'It's quite calm around here'
Officials at Jewish community institutions in France reviewed security procedures in light of the growing threat, but local Jewish Agency Head David Roche said that community members were mostly interested in the assassination itself."Everyone is being alert, but there is no panic," Roche said, and added that most people were talking about the assassination and about Israel's long arm. However, ties with the local police tightened in the wake of the killing, he said.
"We are taking this seriously…because we have experience from previous incidents," he said.
However, some Israelis abroad do feel the assassination's effect more clearly. Alex is an engineer who has been living and working in Nigeria for about a year and a half, and half of his employees are Muslim. He says that since the Mugniyah assassination, security measures were boosted and Israelis were forbidden from traveling to northern Nigeria, which has a large Muslim population.
"As I work at the center of the country, and we are located relatively far away from any major town, most people here didn't even hear about the assassination," he said. "I have 50 employees who are Muslim…but they don't have a radio at home, so they are unaware. However, regular local security has been boosted and we also have local police guards. But generally speaking, it's quite calm around here."
Hagit Klaiman (London,) Tani Goldstein, and Yael Branovsky contributed to the report
