Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry on Sunday released new details about a group believed to be behind a series of recent attacks on Jewish sites across Europe.
According to the ministry, the organization known as Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia is suspected of orchestrating incidents, including the arson of a synagogue in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and the detonation of an explosive device outside a synagogue in Liège, Belgium.
The incident in the Netherlands
The attacks caused significant damage but no casualties. Other Jewish sites were also targeted in recent days.
In a special report issued by the ministry, officials described what they said were coordinated attacks against Jewish targets between March 9 and March 14, 2026. During that period, the synagogue in Rotterdam and the synagogue in Liège were attacked, along with a Jewish site in Greece and a Jewish school in Amsterdam. None of those incidents resulted in injuries.
The ministry said the attacks appear to follow a coordinated pattern aimed at intimidation and psychological warfare against Jewish communities across Europe.
Officials added that there are suspected links to pro-Iranian networks. Intelligence analysis based on open sources found that documentation of the attacks circulated on Telegram channels associated with Shiite militant networks aligned with Iran, including channels linked to Hezbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The report noted that the name used by the group, Ashab al-Yamin, had previously been used by an Iraqi militia that the U.S. State Department designated as a terrorist organization.
The timing of the attacks also raised suspicions. The incidents targeting Jewish communities occurred just over a week after reports that the militia’s leader had been killed, suggesting the attacks could be retaliation.
According to the ministry, the operational pattern appears to rely on local cells or lone attackers inspired by the organization and directed remotely.
That assessment is supported by developments following the Rotterdam synagogue arson, where four suspects aged 17 to 19 were arrested on suspicion of being recruited to carry out additional attacks.
The report warned that the emergence of the group could signal a developing operational pattern in which terror networks use front organizations and proxies to operate in Europe while maintaining operational ambiguity.
Officials also noted that the geographic spread of the attacks across several countries within a short period suggests the possibility of coordinated activity by international networks.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said the recent incidents are not isolated events.
“The events in Europe are part of a troubling pattern,” Chikli said. “Terror networks linked to the Iranian axis are trying to expand their arena of activity into European cities and Jewish communities.”
He added that the message must be clear: Jewish communities are not legitimate targets for threats or violence, and the international community must act decisively against those attempting to export terror and antisemitism beyond the Middle East.
Avi Cohen-Scali, director-general of the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, said the emergence of Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia highlights a growing threat to Jewish communities worldwide.
“This represents a relatively new operational model,” he said, combining online propaganda, local operatives and regional terror networks in an effort to spread fear within Jewish communities while projecting power beyond the Middle East.
He said the ministry will continue working with governments and Jewish communities around the world to monitor, expose and disrupt such threats.