Belgium is stepping up security for its Jewish community after a recent synagogue attack raised fears across Europe, as a newly emerged terrorist group with suspected ties to Iran has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on Jewish targets across the continent.
A fourth incident at a Jewish location in Greece has been linked to the group by several sources, although details about that attack remain limited.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on March 15 that “a jihadist group linked to an Iranian proxy” was behind the attacks, adding that “the IRGC continues to sponsor and export terror around the world,” referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
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U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White visits the site of a synagogue damaged by an explosion early Monday morning in Liège, Belgium, March 9, 2026. (Yves Herman/Reuters)
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin described the blast outside a synagogue in the eastern city of Liège as a “despicable anti-Semitic act” aimed directly at the country’s Jewish community.
Prime Minister Bart De Wever responded to
Truzman said he “suspects this organization is run” and that “there is an entity behind it.”
In response to the attack in Liège, Belgian officials announced increased protection measures.
“To protect our Jewish community, we deploy military personnel to support security in our streets. The safety of every citizen must be guaranteed,” Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken wrote on Monday. “Anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews will never be tolerated. We will always take strong action against them.”
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Police secure the site near a synagogue damaged by an explosion early Monday morning in Liège, Belgium, March 9, 2026. (Yves Herman/Reuters)
The move drew praise from US officials.
“Last week I urged Belgian officials to adequately protect Jewish communities – thank you, Defense Minister Francken and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prévot, for stepping up the increased security measures,” wrote Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, special envoy for monitoring and combating anti-Semitism at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, adding that he looks forward to working with Belgian counterparts “to protect the Jewish community.”
Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers also welcomed the decision, calling it a rare example of action rather than rhetoric.
“We hear a lot of talk about combating anti-Semitism and other forms of hate – but it’s satisfying to see practical action like this, to protect the public square from brutal terrorist violence against Jews and others,” Rogers wrote on X. “Freedom in the tweets, order on the streets.”
Belgium has long maintained heightened security around Jewish institutions following previous attacks, including the 2014 shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels that killed four people – one of the deadliest anti-Semitic attacks in the country’s modern history.
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Two women embrace near the scene of a terrorist attack outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, England, October 2, 2025. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Yet Jewish organizations warn that the current moment reflects a renewed and dangerous escalation.
“This criminal act against a Jewish house of worship is deeply alarming and part of a broader and disturbing increase in anti-Semitic incidents and violent extremism across Europe,” the World Jewish Congress said. in a March 10 statement.
