New Terror Group with Reported Iranian Links Claims Four Attacks Across Europe

A new terrorist group with suspected links to the Iranian regime has emerged in Europe, claiming responsibility for four attacks on Jewish targets across the continent within a single week.

The group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyya (The Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right), first struck a synagogue in Liège, Belgium with an explosive device last Monday. This was followed by an arson attack on a Rotterdam synagogue overnight on Friday, and an explosive device detonated at a Jewish school in Amsterdam the following evening. Sources have also connected the group to a fourth attack on a Jewish site in Greece on Wednesday, though specific details about the target or method have not been disclosed.

Security experts are increasingly concerned about the group’s rapid emergence and potential ties to Iran’s broader proxy network. Joe Truzman, senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and editor of the FDD’s Long War Journal, initially thought the group’s communications appeared “amateurish,” but changed his assessment after videos emerged.

“The war in Iran has likely compelled the group, for whoever is behind this, to start launching these attacks,” Truzman told reporters. He suspects the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) may be directing the organization, noting that the IRGC “has been active in Europe” and has “attempted to eliminate or assassinate dissidents.” Truzman didn’t rule out the possibility of involvement by Iraqi militia groups.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directly linked the attacks to Tehran, describing Ashab al-Yamin as “a jihadi group tied to an Iranian proxy” and stating that “the IRGC continues to sponsor and export terror across the globe.”

The World Jewish Congress has raised alarms about the group, noting that “security analysts believe the group may be part of Iran’s expanding network of proxy actors operating far beyond the Middle East.” The organization has called on European governments to “treat this threat with the seriousness it deserves, dismantle the networks behind these attacks, and ensure Jewish communities can live and worship in safety.”

Amichai Chikli, Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister, characterized the attacks as “part of a troubling pattern,” explaining that “terror networks linked to the Iranian axis are trying to expand their arena of activity into European cities and Jewish communities.”

While the attacks have occurred during nighttime hours and have been “mostly unsophisticated” according to Truzman, there are growing concerns that the situation could escalate. “Things may change, and they may start targeting people, too, during the day, when it’s busy,” Truzman warned.

Security experts are also worried about the potential for copycat attacks. Truzman noted that the dissemination of terror videos online “may compel other people to commit antisemitic attacks” in Europe. “They’re starting to get the views, and people are seeing it. And maybe the ones that are radicalized already or are going to be radicalized, may be influenced by these videos,” he explained.

The emergence of this new terror group comes amid heightened tensions related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and follows a concerning trend of increased antisemitic incidents across Europe and North America. Israel’s National Security Council recently advised its citizens traveling abroad to conceal items that might identify them as Israeli or Jewish and to “avoid visiting sites identified as Jewish or Israeli.” This warning followed three shootings at Toronto synagogues in early March.

The U.S. State Department has not yet responded to questions about whether it had previously been tracking Ashab al-Yamin or if it plans to issue travel warnings for Americans to avoid Jewish institutions abroad.

The rapid succession of attacks across multiple European countries has heightened concerns about the capability and reach of this new terrorist organization, particularly as intelligence agencies work to understand its structure, funding sources, and potential connections to Iran’s wider proxy network.