Dutch police arrested a man Friday after he allegedly tried to break into the Israeli Embassy in The Hague and set fire to the building’s lobby, the Foreign Ministry said.
“The assailant was caught and is under arrest by the local police,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that all embassy staff were unharmed.
1 View gallery
The entrance to the Israeli Embassy in The Hague splattered with red paint, last month
It was the second unusual incident at the embassy in just over a month. In mid-August, three people threw paint on the entrance door and smashed it, though no injuries were reported.
The attack comes amid a spate of assaults on Israeli targets abroad. Just a week earlier, pro-Palestinian activists vandalized El Al’s offices in Paris, splattering them with red paint and calling the company a “genocide airline.”
Security officials have warned that threats against Israeli and Jewish sites overseas have risen sharply since the war with Iran and the ongoing fighting in Gaza. Authorities believe Iran, alongside Hamas, may attempt to target Israeli diplomatic and community institutions abroad.
In response, Israel has recently bolstered security around embassies, consulates and Jewish community centers, deploying both visible and covert reinforcements in coordination with local forces. Security has also been stepped up around waiting areas for Israeli aircraft abroad.
A senior security official said the threat level required new protective measures: “The rise in threats abroad has made it necessary to integrate unique security methods together with advanced technological tools. Our adversaries are adapting, and we must always stay a step ahead. The combination of technology and physical reinforcements is meant not only to respond to threats but to prevent them in advance.”