Jewish Institutions Face Multi-Country Spike in Attacks Since Launch of Operation Epic Fury
A Canada-U.S.-Europe timeline tracks attacks, arrests, and disrupted plots targeting Jewish sites since Feb. 28, as officials warn of elevated threats
After U.S. Central Command launched Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, Israel began Operation Roaring Lion the same day. Since then, multiple antisemitic attacks and security incidents targeting Jewish institutions or Jews have been reported across North America and Europe. These incidents have included synagogue shootings in Canada and a vehicle-ramming attack at a Michigan synagogue.
They have also involved explosions and arson at Jewish sites in Belgium and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Israeli and European reporting has raised questions about whether the surge could reflect intensified Iranian regime-linked activity overseas, alongside a rise in public claims of responsibility.
The Israeli National Security Council has warned that the conflict increases the likelihood of attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets abroad, and has urged heightened vigilance
Synagogue Shootings in Toronto
Toronto police said gunfire damaged Temple Emanu-El late on March 2; separate reporting said the shooting came hours after a Purim celebration had ended. The Anti-Defamation League documented two additional Toronto-area synagogue shootings on March 7—North York’s Shaarei Shomayim and Thornhill’s Beth Avraham Yoseph (BAYT)—occurring within 20–30 minutes of each other, also with no injuries reported.
ADL cited Statistics Canada data showing 920 police-reported anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2024. Separately, B’nai Brith Canada’s annual audit recorded 6,219 antisemitic incidents.
Attacks on Jewish Sites in Michigan
Reuters reported that during the March 12 attack in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the suspect rammed a pickup truck into Temple Israel’s synagogue/preschool area.
PBS NewsHour reported that investigators treated the incident as a targeted act of violence against the Jewish community and connected it to a broader U.S. conversation about rising antisemitic violence. Reuters also cited ADL’s U.S. 2024 total of 9,354 antisemitic incidents, describing it as a record high.
Separately, in a statement posted on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its intelligence assessed that the Michigan attacker, identified by the IDF as Ayman Muhammad Ghazali, was the brother of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali. The IDF alleged Ibrahim Muhammad Ghazali managed weapons operations within a specialized branch of Hezbollah’s Badr Unit, which it said has been involved in launching rockets toward Israeli civilians
Belgium & the Netherlands: Explosion, Arson and School Attack
Belgian authorities and officials characterized a March 9 pre-dawn explosion at a synagogue in Liège as an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries, while federal-level structures took over parts of the probe. Deutsche Welle reported counterterrorism police involvement and quoted the Liège mayor condemning an “extremely violent act of antisemitism,” tying the atmosphere to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.
In Rotterdam, Dutch police announced arrests of four suspects after an arson attack involving an explosion at about 3:40 a.m. on March 13, with surveillance increased at other synagogues and no injuries reported. DW recounted that the fire burned briefly and went out, and it linked the case to a broader run of suspected antisemitic incidents since the Iran war began.
On March 14, Reuters reported an explosion causing minor damage at a Jewish school in Amsterdam, with Mayor Femke Halsema describing it as a deliberate attack against the Jewish community and announcing increased security measures. DW added that police believed two suspects arrived by scooter, placed an object against a wall, and fled as it detonated.
Antisemitic Attacks in Norway and France
Norwegian police detained a man in his 20s after a reported security situation near the Trondheim synagogue on March 12, with local reporting describing a vehicle fleeing and a chase, while police said the situation was under control. The Times of Israel reported that police investigated suspicious behavior, cordoned off areas, and searched for a vehicle that left the scene.
In France, the European Jewish Congress reported that a 14-year-old Jewish girl was assaulted in Sarcelles and threatened with death with antisemitic remarks, with two 12-year-old suspects arrested and the victim taken to hospital in shock. The Algemeiner reported police accounts describing antisemitic slurs and an ongoing search for a third suspect.
“Ashab Al Yamin”: Attack Claims and Telegram Amplification
The Jerusalem Post reported that a previously unknown group calling itself “Ashab Al Yamin” claimed responsibility for attacks in Liège, Greece (details not fully specified in the article), and Rotterdam, and that its videos circulated on “Shi’ite axis” Telegram channels associated with Hezbollah or IRGC-linked ecosystems. However, the claims made by Ashab Al Yamin have not yet been independently verified.
Jewish News (UK) similarly reported that the group claimed Rotterdam and also claimed Liège and Greece, while quoting European Jewish Congress concerns about a coordinated network.
Separately, Ynet reported that senior Israeli officials viewed Iran as pushing overseas attacks as a core war component and cited CAM-linked figures about incident volumes in the same period. CAM itself reported a 34% weekly rise in monitored antisemitic incidents after the war began, and CAM’s March 12 weekly report summarized a separate week’s tally and included synagogue-related incidents in multiple countries.
A widely shared X post by Rachel Riley compiled a cross-country list of these incidents, illustrating how attack reporting, claims, and security warnings propagate through social media aggregation.
International Condemnation Security Posture
UN News summarized the Canada shootings, the Liège explosion, the Michigan attack, and the Rotterdam arson probe, and it quoted the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson condemning the attacks and calling for protection of religious sites. Israel’s NSC has continued to urge heightened vigilance abroad, including minimizing exposure at Jewish/Israeli sites and reducing identifiable markers in public.
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