The U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, urged European governments to immediately strengthen security for Jewish communities following a series of attacks on Jewish sites across the continent.
Speaking Friday at a briefing in Brussels with ambassadors and senior diplomats from several European countries, Kaploun warned that Jewish communities worldwide remain targets of the Iranian regime and its allies.
“There can be no illusion that the Iranian regime’s target is any Jewish community,” Kaploun said. “This should not come as a surprise to anyone. We are witnessing a sharp rise in antisemitism in Europe and around the world.”
The briefing, organized by the European Jewish Association (EJA), focused on the recent surge in antisemitic incidents and the need for stronger cooperation between the United States and Europe to counter them.
Kaploun’s call came after several attacks on Jewish institutions in Europe and the United States, including incidents at synagogues in Rotterdam, Liège and Oslo, as well as a Jewish school in Amsterdam. In the Detroit area, a suspect targeted a building where Jewish preschool children were present.
Israeli report links attacks to pro-Iranian network
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 attacks caused significant damage but no casualties. Other Jewish sites were also targeted in recent days.
In a special report, the ministry described coordinated attacks against Jewish targets between March 9 and March 14, including synagogues in Rotterdam and Liège, a Jewish site in Greece and a Jewish school in Amsterdam.
Officials said the incidents appear to follow a coordinated pattern aimed at intimidation and psychological warfare against Jewish communities across Europe.
Suspected links to Iranian-backed networks
According to the report, 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.
Officials said the attacks may have been carried out by local operatives or lone attackers inspired by the organization and directed remotely.
Following the Rotterdam synagogue arson, four suspects aged 17 to 19 were arrested on suspicion of being recruited to carry out additional attacks.
The ministry warned that the emergence of Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia could signal a developing operational model in which terror networks operate in Europe through proxy groups and front organizations while maintaining operational ambiguity.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said the incidents are part of a broader trend.
“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.”
‘Governments must act’
Rabbi Menahem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, said the message delivered to European diplomats during the Brussels meeting was clear.
“Governments must immediately step up security for Jewish communities,” Margolin said. “Terrorism and antisemitic activity are increasing across Europe.”
During his visit, Kaploun also met with Jewish leaders and visited the Jewish community in the Belgian city of Liège.
First published: 14:50, 03.16.26