New Iran-Linked Militant Group Hits Jewish Institutions Across Europe

Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry warned Sunday that a newly surfaced militant group believed to be linked to Iranian terror networks carried out a series of attacks against Jewish institutions across Europe over the past week.

According to a special report released by the ministry, the organization, known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, or “The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right,” claimed responsibility for several incidents targeting Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands between March 9 and March 14. Israeli officials said the pattern of attacks across multiple countries suggests a coordinated campaign intended to intimidate Jewish communities and create an atmosphere of fear.

The incidents began early last week when an explosion damaged a synagogue in Liège, eastern Belgium. Local authorities reported no injuries, though the building sustained material damage. Liège Mayor Willy Demeyer condemned the incident as an “extremely violent act of antisemitism.”

Several days later, an explosion and brief fire were reported outside a synagogue in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Dutch authorities later arrested four young men suspected of involvement in the attack and of planning additional incidents.

In Amsterdam, an overnight explosion damaged the city’s only Orthodox Jewish school. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described the incident as a “deliberate attack against the Jewish community,” calling it a cowardly act aimed at intimidating Jewish residents.

The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on a Jewish site in Greece, according to the Israeli ministry’s report, though public details about that incident remain unclear.

European authorities are continuing to investigate the incidents and have not publicly confirmed all aspects of the group’s claims. Security around Jewish institutions in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe has been increased following the attacks.

Israeli officials warned that the incidents appear to be part of a broader effort by Iranian-aligned networks to expand operations beyond the Middle East. “The recent events in Europe are not isolated incidents but part of a disturbing pattern of action: Terrorist networks affiliated with the Iranian axis are trying to expand their arena of operation into the cities and Jewish communities of Europe,” Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said. “The message must be clear: Jewish communities are not a legitimate target for threats, and the international community must act resolutely against any entity that attempts to export terrorism and antisemitism beyond the borders of the Middle East.”

The ministry’s analysis says footage of the attacks was quickly distributed through Telegram channels affiliated with pro-Iranian Shiite militant networks, including channels linked to Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Officials said the group appears to operate through a decentralized model, using local cells or individual attackers directed from abroad. Such a structure allows planners to obscure their involvement and makes attribution more difficult for authorities.

Diaspora Affairs Ministry Director-General Avi Cohen-Skalli said the emergence of the organization highlights an evolving security threat. “The emergence of this organization illustrates the evolving threat. It combines online propaganda, local operational cells and regional terror networks to instill fear in Jewish communities,” he said.

The ministry’s report also noted that the group’s name resembles one previously used by an Iraqi Shiite militia designated as a terrorist organization by the United States. The attacks occurred shortly after the reported assassination of that militia’s leader in late February, raising the possibility that the incidents were intended as a form of retaliation.

Israeli officials warned that the speed with which the attacks occurred in multiple countries indicates the potential for further incidents, as European authorities continue investigating the network behind the claims.