- Category
- Latest news
Iran May Target Jewish Communities in Europe Amid US–Israel Offensive, Intel Warns
- Authors
![Photo of Roman Kohanets]( "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
European authorities are investigating a series of attacks on Jewish sites and suspect Iran directed the campaign through online recruits and a fictitious group used to claim responsibility, according to The Wall Street Journal on March 25.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Security officials cited by the outlet suspect Iranian agents recruited individuals online to carry out assaults on Jewish schools, synagogues, and companies linked to Israel in response to the US and Israeli campaign against Tehran.
A group calling itself the Islamic Movement of the Righteous Companions has claimed responsibility for most of the incidents, but European intelligence officials noted it had not appeared on their radar before this month.
Since the US and Israel launched their campaign against Iran, nearly a dozen attacks on Jewish sites have been carried out or attempted across Western Europe, the report noted.
On March 23, the group claimed responsibility for torching a car in Antwerp’s Jewish district and ambulances belonging to a Jewish emergency service in London.
Earlier this month, synagogues and a Jewish school in Belgium and the Netherlands were targeted with firebombs, while Dutch authorities on March 22 reported they had foiled an attack on a synagogue in Heemstede after discovering multiple explosive devices.
Investigators and counterterrorism experts cited in the report noted that videos of the incidents were later amplified on pro-Iranian social media channels, and in at least one case, an attack was announced in advance.
In a March 16 message, the group urged people in the European Union to distance themselves “immediately from all American and Zionist interests and everything connected to them.”
Julian Lanchès of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism stated the model gave Iran plausible deniability while spreading confusion, adding, “It’s an effective model.”
The report noted that officials have not formally attributed the attacks to Iran, but multiple governments suspect its involvement. It added that the apparent method mirrors sabotage tactics linked to Russia in Europe, where operatives have allegedly used unwitting recruits hired through social media.
European officials also suspect the latest wave may involve preexisting Iranian proxy networks among organized-crime figures and Shia communities.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that security concerns have already prompted some Israeli diplomats and employees of Jewish organizations in Europe to work from home.
-3fc44fab0e43e2670ac27762cecea3fb.png)
The case also coincides with wider warnings that hostile operations in Europe are becoming more aggressive and more varied.
German officials are forewarning that Russia’s hybrid campaign is growing more aggressive, with espionage, sabotage, and other hostile activity increasing as Berlin faces mounting pressure from Moscow.
Sinan Selen, a senior domestic intelligence official, noted that foreign actors are taking greater risks and that even kill operations can no longer be excluded.
He added that Russia increasingly treats Germany as an opponent, with logistics networks, defense firms, and technology companies now among the most exposed targets for covert activity.
The notice fits a wider European pattern, with officials documenting 151 Russian-linked hybrid attacks across the continent since February 2022, ranging from arson to attempted bombings.
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
