Germany and France increase security at Jewish sites amid Iran threat

Euronews

7 hours ago

Germany has announced it is increasing security around Israeli and Jewish sites within its borders due to growing concerns about potential attacks from Iran. France has also put similar measures in place.
Amichai Chikli, Israel's Minister for Diaspora Affairs, spoke to Euronews, warning that the threat to Jewish communities and Israeli embassies is now greater than ever.
"It is obvious that after we managed to hit the top leadership of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, they would want revenge and to hit Israeli embassies, [and] Jewish communities, and therefore we need to be much more alert than usual," Chikli said.
"We are monitoring everything we can based on OSINT. And obviously we have security services who are working with foreign security services to make sure that embassies, Jewish community centres are being protected."
The recent protests in Brussels have raised alarm for the safety of the Jewish community in Belgium.
At least 75,000 people participated in the "red line" protests against Israel's actions in Gaza on Sunday.
Chikli expressed his concerns regarding the violence and anti-Semitic sentiment visible during the march.
"We are highly concerned about what's happening now in Belgium. We see violent demonstrations. We see signs of 'wanted people' against Jewish leaders, rabbis in the streets of Belgium and we've seen no condemnation. We've seen no action from the authorities in Belgium and we hope that we will be able to see more serious steps to protect the Jewish community in Belgium," Chikli said.
In response to Israel's recent attack on Iran, EU leaders have called for restraint and diplomacy. The President of the European Commission reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself and protect its citizens, while urging all parties to work towards a peaceful resolution.