Australia said on Tuesday it would expel Iran's ambassador to Canberra, as it accused Tehran of executing two antisemitic attacks in the key cities of Sydney and Melbourne.
Since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023, Australian homes, schools, synagogues and vehicles have been targeted in antisemitic vandalism and arson.
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A car was set on fire and anti-Semitic graffiti was sprayed on buildings in Sydney
(Photo: AFP / Australian Broadcasting Corp)
In the most recent incident in July, police charged a man accused of an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue with worshippers inside.
"These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a press briefing.
"They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits a synagogue vandalized in an antisemitic attack
(Photo: AFP / Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet / Australia)
Australia has suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran and all its diplomats were safe in a third country, Albanese said, adding that his government would designate Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization.