Iran behind attacks of Jewish sites in Liège and Antwerp, says Belgian intelligence agency

Global calls from Iran directly triggered two Belgian terror attacks, according to Gert Vercauteren, head of the country’s Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA), who confirmed the international link on Thursday.

Speaking to Francophone broadcaster RTBF, the security chief stated that perpetrators “certainly” acted on Tehran’s orders to strike Jewish locations worldwide.

In March, explosives were detonated outside a Liège synagogue. In that same week, arsonists completely torched a car in the middle of Antwerp’s Jewish quarter. There were no casualties in either attack.

Now, however, Vercauteren stressed that the attacks formed part of a coordinated campaign rather than isolated vandalism.

Belgian authorities faced an immediate escalation in security threats following Hamas’ attack in Israel on 7 October 2023 and the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Tensions then boiled over in early spring.

An explosive device was detonated on Liège’s Rue Léon Frédéricq shortly before 04:00 on 9 March. This sudden blast shattered the quiet of the provincial city.

Read more: The Brussels Times