Australia accuses Iran of being behind two anti -Semitic attacks, orders the ambassador to leave

Australia accused Iran on Tuesday of having executed two anti -Semitic criminal fire attacks in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne and gave the Tehran ambassador seven days to leave the country, its first expulsion of this type since the Second World War.

Since the start of the War of Israel-Gaza in October 2023, Australian houses, schools, synagogues and vehicles have been targeted in anti-Semitic vandalism and criminal fire, while Islamophobic incidents have increased.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) had gathered credible information that Iran had directed at least two attacks.

“These are acts of extraordinary and dangerous aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil,” Albanian said at a press conference. “These are attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community.”

Iran had sought to “hide its involvement” in last year’s attacks against a kosher restaurant in Sydney and the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, Albanese said. No injury has been reported in the attacks.

Australia’s decision was motivated by internal affairs and anti-Semitism had no place in Iranian culture, said a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Iran would make an appropriate decision in response to Australia’s action, said the state media that quoted the spokesperson.

The Australian security agency said it was likely that Iran had produced new attacks, said Albanese, adding that Australia had suspended operations to its Tehran embassy and that all of its diplomats were safe in a third -party country.

The government will designate the body of the Islamic Revolution of Tehran (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, added Albanese. Canada has appointed a terrorist entity last year, and the United States did in 2019.

“They simply use cutouts, including people who are criminals and gang members of the crime organized to make their auctions or direct their auctions,” said Mike Burgess, Managing Director of the Security Agency.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and that three Iranian officials had seven days to leave.

The Embassy of Israel in Australia praised the action against its main rival Iran.

“Iran’s regime is not only a threat to Jews or Israel, but it endangers everyone free, including Australia,” he said in a statement on X.

The links between Israel and Australia have been tense since the Center-Gauche government of Canberra decided to recognize a Palestinian state on August 11, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying to the Skynews of Australia that he thought that the Albanian was “eternally tarnished” by this decision.

The attacks have led to arrests

Two men were charged during the December attack which set fire to the synagogue, built in the 1960s by Holocaust survivors in the suburbs of Ripponlea.

Last week, police from the southeast state of Victoria said they were examining electronic devices seized in a search of the house of one of the men, which should appear in court on Wednesday.

Police said three people broke into the synagogue and set fire.

The fire emptied the kosher restaurant in Bondi, Lewis Continental Kitchen. The media said that the man arrested in January for this attack had links to a well -known Australian motorcycle gang. He denied accusations in court and was released on bail.

About 90,000 people of Iranian origin live in Australia.

The Australian Iranian Community Organization welcomed the expulsion and the decision to declare the IRGC as a terrorist group.

“We are really happy to see them go,” said its president, Siamak Ghahreman, at Australian Broadcasting Corporation in an interview.