Terror fears after embassy bombing
SCHOOLS, shuls and other communal institutions were this week urged to be on their guard following a series of bomb attacks against Israeli embassy officials in India and Georgia.
SCHOOLS, shuls and other communal institutions were this week urged to be on their guard following a series of bomb attacks against Israeli embassy officials in India and Georgia.
Jerusalem has blamed Iran and its proxies for Monday’s terror strikes. Officials have also said that bombs which exploded in a house in Thailand on Tuesday were being prepared for a large-scale attack on an Israeli target in Bangkok.
The first of the assaults saw Tal Yehoshua Koren, the wife of an Israeli diplomat in New Delhi, suffer shrapnel wounds when her car exploded as she was being driven to pick up her children from school.
It’s believed her husband, a defence ministry official stationed in New Delhi, may have been the intended target of the assassination attempt.
In Tbilisi, meanwhile, a second bomb was disabled after being discovered by an embassy employee under his car outside the embassy.
“Iran is behind these attacks; it is the largest exporter of terrorism in the world,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
His sentiments were echoed by Defence Minister Ehud Barak following the explosions in Thailand. “The attempted attack in Bangkok proves once again that Iran and its proxies are continuing to perpetrate terrorism.”
Barak added: “Iran and Hezbollah are elements of unrelenting terrorism and are endangering the stability not only of the region but of the entire world.”
Urging community members to be vigilant, Jewish communal leaders in Australia expressed their shock at the attacks.
“We’re advising an increased level of awareness and obviously if there’s anything suspicious, to report it to us straight away,” said Simon Glynn, chief executive of the Community Security Group (CSG) in Victoria.
However, Glynn stressed, “There’s no specific information we have that’s of concern in Melbourne.”
In a letter to communal organisations, David Rothman, head of CSG in NSW, also said there was no information of a specific threat.
However, noting that the attacks “underscore a continued and coordinated action by Hezbollah against Jewish and Israeli targets worldwide”, he added, “Potential targets would include Jewish soft targets in Australia, such as synagogues, community centres and schools.”
He told The AJN, “The security situation globally is unpredictable. It is changing daily and CSG is working closely with all local and federal authorities to properly analyse the security risks here locally.”
He added, “There is no change to the present threat level to the Jewish community in Australia, which remains ‘high’.
“Further, global security conditions have deteriorated and an increase of the threat level in Australia to ‘heightened’ could occur at short notice.”
Extending its “deepest sympathy” to colleagues in New Delhi and Tbilisi, a spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Canberra told The AJN, “The wellbeing and safety of our personnel is of paramount importance, and we are taking all the steps necessary in coordination with different agencies in Australia to ensure that our embassy and its personnel can continue working like any other embassy in Canberra.”
The Australian Security Intell-igence Organisation (ASIO) said events overseas were closely monitored and the government advised accordingly.
“Although inappropriate to publicly discuss details of that advice, ASIO works closely with partners on threats to diplomatic missions and other foreign government representations in Australia,” a spokesperson told The AJN.
Claiming the bombs were “yet another reminder of how dangerous and unrestrained Tehran and its proxies remain”, executive director of the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) Dr Colin Rubenstein said, “The attacks are obviously a cautionary reminder for Jewish communities around the world, given that Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran have repeatedly made it clear that they view Jewish institutions anywhere as legitimate targets for terror.
“But they also provide more proof, if any is needed, that allowing Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons, with all the immunity from retribution and impunity that entails, would be catastrophic for Israel, the region, and the whole world.”
ZEDDY LAWRENCE
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