PM Anthony Albanese accused Iran of orchestrating synagogue and community attacks in Australia, expelling Tehran’s ambassador and designating the IRGC as a terror group.
Australia has entered a diplomatic showdown with Iran after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed Tuesday that Tehran was behind at least two attacks targeting Australia’s Jewish community, The Guardian reported.
According to the Australian Security and Intelligence Organization (ASIO), Iran directed assaults on Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, a Jewish-owned business.
Albanese called the revelations “extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil.” He warned that ASIO believes Iran likely orchestrated further attacks as well, describing them as deliberate attempts to *“undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community.”
In a dramatic response, Canberra announced it will:
- Expel Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi
- Suspend operations at Australia’s embassy in Tehran
- Officially designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization
The announcement comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks across Australia. Incidents have included:
- A car set on fire and anti-Israel graffiti in Sydney’s Woollahra suburb
- The phrase “F— the Jews” spray-painted on a vehicle in Sydney
- Red swastikas painted on the Newtown Synagogue in Sydney’s inner west
- Antisemitic vandalism at the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah
- Targeting of a home linked to Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry
- A violent mob attacking a popular Israeli restaurant in Melbourne and an attempted arson at a local synagogue last month
Australia’s move marks one of the toughest responses yet by a Western democracy to alleged Iranian state-sponsored operations on foreign soil, with Albanese vowing that Canberra will not tolerate foreign-backed extremism.
“This is totally unacceptable. We will always act to protect the safety and security of the Australian people,” he said.
The decision is likely to send shockwaves through both Middle Eastern diplomacy and Australia’s Iranian diaspora community, intensifying already fraught global tensions over Tehran’s actions abroad.Australia has entered a diplomatic showdown with Iran after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed Tuesday that Tehran was behind at least two attacks targeting Australia’s Jewish community, The Guardian reported.
According to the Australian Security and Intelligence Organization (ASIO), Iran directed assaults on Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen, a Jewish-owned business.
Albanese called the revelations “extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil.” He warned that ASIO believes Iran likely orchestrated further attacks as well, describing them as deliberate attempts to *“undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community.”
In a dramatic response, Canberra announced it will:
- Expel Iranian Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi
- Suspend operations at Australia’s embassy in Tehran
- Officially designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization
The announcement comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks across Australia. Incidents have included:
- A car set on fire and anti-Israel graffiti in Sydney’s Woollahra suburb
- The phrase “F— the Jews” spray-painted on a vehicle in Sydney
- Red swastikas painted on the Newtown Synagogue in Sydney’s inner west
- Antisemitic vandalism at the Southern Sydney Synagogue in Allawah
- Targeting of a home linked to Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry
- A violent mob attacking a popular Israeli restaurant in Melbourne and an attempted arson at a local synagogue last month
Australia’s move marks one of the toughest responses yet by a Western democracy to alleged Iranian state-sponsored operations on foreign soil, with Albanese vowing that Canberra will not tolerate foreign-backed extremism.
“This is totally unacceptable. We will always act to protect the safety and security of the Australian people,” he said.
The decision is likely to send shockwaves through both Middle Eastern diplomacy and Australia’s Iranian diaspora community, intensifying already fraught global tensions over Tehran’s actions abroad.
