In light of a recent synagogue attack, Belgium is intensifying security measures for its Jewish community. This move comes as fears mount across Europe following claims by a newly emerged terrorist group, suspected of Iranian ties, that it orchestrated various attacks on Jewish sites throughout the continent.
The group, known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya, or “The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right,” has declared responsibility for several assaults, including the March 9 explosion at a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, as reported by Fox News Digital. They also admitted to an arson attack on a synagogue in Rotterdam and an explosive attack on a Jewish school in Amsterdam.
There is also a connection being drawn between the group and a fourth attack at a Jewish site in Greece, although specific details about this incident remain scarce.
On March 15, Israel’s Foreign Ministry attributed the attacks to “a jihadi group tied to an Iranian proxy,” stating that “the IRGC continues to sponsor and export terror worldwide,” referencing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White visited the site of the synagogue in Liège, which was damaged by an explosion on March 9, 2026. (Yves Herman/Reuters)
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin condemned the explosion near the synagogue in Liège as a “despicable antisemitic act,” emphasizing its direct threat to the nation’s Jewish community.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever responded on X Monday morning, writing, “Antisemitism is an attack on our values and our society, and we must combat it unequivocally. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in Liège and throughout the country.”
Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of its Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital that the war in Iran has likely “compelled the group, for whoever is behind this, to start launching these attacks.”
Truzman said he “suspect(s) this organization is being directed” and that there is “an entity behind it.”
File shot of soldiers standing guard in front of the central train station on Nov. 22, 2015 in Brussels, as the Belgian capital remained on the highest security alert level over fears of a Paris-style attack. (Emmanuel Dunand/AFP via Getty Images)
In response to the attack in Liège, Belgian officials announced increased protection measures.
“To protect our Jewish community, we are deploying military personnel to support security on our streets. The safety of every citizen must be guaranteed,” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken wrote on X Monday. “Antisemitism and hatred against Jews will never be tolerated. We will stand firm against it, always.”
Police secure the site near a synagogue damaged by an explosion early on Monday, in Liege, Belgium, March 9, 2026. (Yves Herman/Reuters)
The move drew praise from U.S. officials.
“Last week, I urged Belgian officials to adequately protect Jewish communities—thank you, Defense Minister Francken and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prévot, for stepping up with increased security measures,” Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism at the State Department, wrote, adding that he looks forward to working with Belgian counterparts “to safeguard the Jewish community.”
Undersecretary of State Sarah B. Rogers also welcomed the decision, calling it a rare example of action rather than rhetoric.
“We hear a lot of talk about combating antisemitism and other forms of hatred — but it’s satisfying to see practical action, like this, to guard the public square against brute terrorist violence targeting Jews and others,” Rogers wrote on X. “Liberty in the tweets, order in the streets.”
Belgium long has maintained heightened security around Jewish institutions following past attacks, including the 2014 shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels that killed four people — one of the deadliest antisemitic attacks in the country’s modern history.
Two women embrace near the scene of a terror attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester, England, Oct. 2, 2025. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Still, Jewish organizations warn the current moment reflects a renewed and dangerous escalation.
“This criminal act against a Jewish house of worship is deeply alarming and part of a broader and troubling rise in antisemitic incidents and violent extremism across Europe,” the World Jewish Congress said in a March 10 statement.
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