The Iranian government directed at least two arson attacks on Jewish sites in Australia, targeting a Melbourne synagogue and a Sydney kosher cafe, with no injuries reported. Australia will proscribe the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation and expelled the Iranian ambassador and three other officials, closing the Iranian embassy in Canberra. Australian intelligence attributes further antisemitic attacks across the country to Tehran while stating Iranian diplomats in Australia were not involved. Lewis's Continental Kitchen was attacked in October and Adass Israel synagogue in Ripponlea in December. Australians are advised not to travel to Iran and to leave if it is safe to do so.
The Iranian government lit the matches and fanned the flames of antisemitism in Australia, directing at least two arson attacks in the last year on a Melbourne synagogue and a Sydney Jewish restaurant Australia's spy chief has said. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Tehran's paramilitary defenders of the 1979 revolution, will be proscribed by Australia as a terrorist organisation.
As Australia's prime minister announced his government had expelled the Iranian ambassador, on Tuesday local time, the head of Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (Asio), Mike Burgess, said Tehran was likely behind even more antisemitic attacks across the country. Iranian diplomats posted to Australia were not involved, Burgess said. Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi and three other officials have been given seven days to leave the country.
Since the 1979 revolution, Australia had consistently maintained diplomatic relations with Iran, as well as an embassy in the capital, until it was shuttered in June in the wake of US bombing raids on Iran. All Australia's diplomatic staff are already out of the country. Australians have long been urged not to travel to Iran, and the government has repeated those warnings, recommending Australians leave now if it is safe to do so.
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