West must have zero tolerance for state-backed terror

Criminality in the service of political discord, wars and conflicts is not new, at least not in the few decades since the world became a global village in which identities — national and religious — are often accentuated in lands far away from where those who identify with or practice them hail.

It is a common sight for people who live in the UK to notice Irish flags on display around St. Patrick’s Day. And it is not uncommon in London to see the St. George’s Cross or the Union Jack when England’s football team is competing. But recent events, particularly Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and the Israeli war on Gaza that followed, have seen the emergence of dangerous new symbols. These mix activism, nationalist sentiments and religious identity and are seen displayed around multicultural cities across the Western world in an alarming fashion.

It is often possible to see, in the UK and other European cities, Palestinian, Israeli and, recently, Iranian flags raised in such a way as to taunt rather than to celebrate. Equally, St. George’s Crosses have been raised on poles in towns and villages across Britain as an expression of the rise of the political far right and its antimigrant stance. Political and religious symbols are sadly becoming a means to vocalize dissent, difference and discord.

Attacks on synagogues in London and elsewhere in the West point to a malign trend. They are a part of a campaign of intimidation and violence that many worry are about retribution and settling scores and are instigated by state actors. They aim to raise the costs of conflict through sowing chaos and insecurity and, above all, tear apart social cohesion, peace and order in multicultural societies.

Attacks on synagogues in the West aim to raise the costs of conflict through sowing chaos and insecurity

Mohamed Chebaro

So far, 15 people have been arrested over a series of attacks in London since March 23, when a firebombing targeted four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity. It is widely believed that the attacks have been carried out as a response to the war on Iran by the US and Israel, which started on Feb. 28.

The incidents in London include the targeting of synagogues in Harrow and Finchley, an attempt to use drones against the Israeli Embassy and an arson attack on the offices of an Iranian opposition television channel.

Harakat Ashab Al-Yamin Al-Islamia, an obscure group, has claimed responsibility for some of the London attacks, as well as targeting a synagogue in North Macedonia and a Jewish-owned restaurant in Munich. The same group first claimed responsibility for a series of attempted attacks against Jewish targets in the Netherlands, Belgium and France.

UK police investigators have described the criminal elements involved as guns for hire, recruited on the internet, who are being used by remote handlers or proxies. Those paid to carry out the violence have been described as “fools.” It is complex and scary when states start to hire residents of other countries to commit acts of violence. Russia had previously recruited Britons to carry out an attack in the UK, including using an online chat to encourage a 21-year-old man to start a fire at a London warehouse that was being used to provide aid for Ukraine. He was convicted of arson and jailed for 17 years over the 2024 attack.

In recent years, governments and intelligence agencies across the Western world have often warned about what they call hybrid warfare or deniable attacks that are intended to sow chaos. This has become more prominent recently as an added front in the theater of war. The long arm of the Kremlin, for example, has attempted to undermine law and order in countries it deems enemies, such as Poland, Germany and the UK.

It is complex and scary when states start to hire residents of other countries to commit acts of violence

Mohamed Chebaro

Western nations have repeatedly stated that Russia and Iran have planned, funded and directed attacks by paid criminals to disrupt, distract and cause harm — raising the political pressure on their opponents wherever they are based.

The Iran conflict has not yet spilled over to cause big concerns in Europe. But the tension is clearly being felt in various communities, with raised levels of politically and ideologically fueled criminality and acts that, cumulatively, cause concern, if not panic.

Public opinion across Europe has shown significant aversion to the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran, while most governments consider it a war of choice and not a necessity, despite the bad record of the Iranian regime. But these seemingly Iranian-backed or inspired attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets in the West could lead to social friction and the division of communities, which is a grave and dangerous prospect.

Clearly, the targeting of synagogues in the UK and elsewhere is no different than the Iranian attacks on neighboring Arab countries in the Gulf region. They are, it seems, part of a concerted effort to show that Tehran can not only retaliate militarily but it can also undermine peace and law and order elsewhere.

The attacks on Jewish targets from Australia to Lonon are not isolated and therefore indicate a sinister attitude that should be dealt with. Efforts should be made to protect potential targets and a zero-tolerance approach must be taken. Our world is globalized and so are conflicts and their ramifications. The attacks on one community in London should focus minds to reject acts of state terror. The alternatives would be costly and damaging to states and societies throughout this turbulent, conflictive world.

• Mohamed Chebaro is a British-Lebanese journalist with more than 25 years of experience covering war, terrorism, defense, current affairs and diplomacy.