Australia Expels Iran Envoy Over Antisemitic Attacks 

Australia expelled Iran’s ambassador Tuesday over allegations that Tehran was behind at least two antisemitic attacks in the country, NBC News reported. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) had “credible intelligence” linking Iran to two arson attacks last year: One on Lewis’ Continental Kitchen restaurant in Sydney and another on the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne.  

Both incidents caused significant damage to property but no injuries.  

The ASIO emphasized that no Iranian diplomats or embassy staff were directly involved. Still, Albanese suggested Tehran may also have been behind other antisemitic incidents now under investigation. 

The decision marks the first expulsion of a foreign ambassador from Canberra since World War II.  

Alongside the move, Australia closed its embassy in Tehran and designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Israel’s embassy in Canberra praised the IRGC listing as a “strong and important move.” 

Iran rejected Albanese’s claims, insisting that “antisemitism has no place in our culture, history or religion.” Iranian officials hinted the expulsion was influenced by “internal developments” in Australia, pointing to public divisions over the Gaza war and recent mass protests against Israel’s actions, Al Jazeera noted. 

The Australia attacks occurred amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and its allies launched an assault in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages.  

Israel’s military response has resulted in the devastation of much of the Palestinian enclave, a humanitarian crisis, and the death of more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. 

Australia has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents at schools, synagogues, and homes since the war began nearly two years ago. 

Canberra’s relations with Israel have plummeted in recent weeks as Albanese has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for being “in denial” about the humanitarian situation and famine in Gaza.  

Earlier this month, Albanese announced Australia will join France, the United Kingdom, and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.  

Last week, Netanyahu condemned the move, calling Albanese “a weak politician who betrayed Israel” and saying that his political record had been “tarnished forever.”  

The Australian government played down Netanyahu’s remarks, with Albanese saying he doesn’t “take these things personally.”