Senior Israeli officials warned Saturday that Iran is intensifying efforts to carry out attacks against Jews and Israelis around the world, saying the campaign has accelerated since the outbreak of the war last month and reflects Tehran’s view that overseas terrorism is a central part of its confrontation with Israel.
Speaking as a series of attacks and attempted attacks hit Jewish institutions in North America and Europe. “The Iranians want to harm Jewish communities around the world and Israelis,” the officials said.
“In their view, an inseparable part of the war against Israel is carrying out attacks. The Mossad is deployed all over the world, not only in Iran, in pursuit of terror cells and in thwarting attacks. The numbers of attempted Iranian attacks are insane, and our deployment is insane.”
The officials said they were seeing an increase in attempted attacks in numerous regions, including South America, North America, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
Since the start of the war with Iran, antisemitic incidents around the world have risen by 20%, according to a global antisemitism report by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, or CAM. The group said 137 antisemitic incidents were recorded worldwide over the past week, including violent assaults, threats, vandalism and incitement against Jews and Jewish institutions.
According to the report, 27 of those incidents — about 19.7% of the total recorded during the week — were connected to the war with Iran, with perpetrators motivated by support for the Iranian regime or by conspiracy theories and hatred toward Jews and Israel.
Data collected by the group’s Antisemitism Research Center showed that eight of the incidents took place at synagogues around the world.
Among the reported cases was an attack on a historic synagogue in Liege, Belgium, gunfire at two synagogues in the Toronto area in Canada, and the arrest of suspects near synagogues in Oslo and Trondheim in Norway.
Arson attack on a synagogue in the Netherlands
The latest incident took place overnight Saturday, when a Jewish school in Amsterdam was attacked. Damage was caused to an exterior wall of the school, but no injuries were reported. An extremist Muslim group claimed responsibility for that attack, as well as for the attack in Liege and for the arson of a synagogue in Rotterdam on Friday.
A major attack was foiled on Thursday, when security guards shot a gunman who tried to ram his vehicle into Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. According to the reports, the assailant then shot himself to death during the exchange of fire with guards.
He was identified as Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen born in Lebanon. NBC reported that four of his relatives, including two brothers who were Hezbollah members, were killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon last week. Large quantities of explosives were found in his vehicle after it caught fire.
Other incidents reported during the past week included the assault of two Jewish men at a restaurant in San Jose, California, after they were heard speaking Hebrew. According to reports, the attackers shouted, among other things, “Don’t mess with Iran,” along with slurs against Jews.
In Britain, during a soccer match in Norwich, spectators shouted slogans including “dirty Jews,” “dirty Zionists” and “back to the gas chambers” at students from the Jewish Free School in London.
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The scene of the attack on Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan; Ayman Mohamad Ghazali
(Photo: AP Photo/Corey Williams, social media)
In Germany, authorities uncovered and foiled an alleged attempt by Hamas-linked operatives to plan attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
The National Security Council issued a warning last week to Israelis abroad because of concern over possible attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide. It urged heightened vigilance and adherence to security precautions.
“Since the start of Operation Roaring Lion, a surge in motivation and an increase in terrorist activity and threats by Iranian security bodies against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide have been identified,” the council said at the time. “In addition, there are Iranian kinetic attack efforts in countries in the region and around Iran, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Jordan. There is growing concern over harm to Israeli targets, with emphasis on these arenas.”
Among the guidelines issued by the council were avoiding transit flights through the United Arab Emirates until further notice, while noting that the travel warning level remained unchanged at Level 3, indicating a moderate threat. It also called on Israelis to conceal Jewish and Israeli symbols in public, exercise heightened caution at all destinations, particularly in countries neighboring Iran, the Gulf region and places under travel warnings, and refrain from sharing real-time personal information on social media, including accommodations, travel plans and locations.
The council also advised against visiting places identified with Jewish or Israeli communities, including Chabad houses and synagogues, and urged heightened awareness in such areas, including restaurants and other communal venues, particularly for suspicious objects or unfamiliar individuals. It said anyone facing a threat or attack should report it immediately to local security forces and recommended travelers familiarize themselves in advance with local emergency numbers.
The guidance further urged Israelis to avoid entering areas considered hostile toward Jews or Israelis, including certain neighborhoods, quarters and markets in countries or regions where public opinion is strongly hostile to Israel.
CAM said the recent spike in violent incidents since the outbreak of the war reflects a continuing trend of escalation in antisemitic incidents around the world.
“In the United States, only Jews need courage to go to their place of worship,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman said. “The fight against antisemitism requires solidarity, action and responsibility from every leader, every institution and every citizen. Antisemitism is a moral rot in our society, and it must be uprooted wherever and whenever it appears.”