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4w ago

Belgium Deploys 200 Soldiers to Guard Jewish Sites After String of Attacks in Europe

Officials cite a rising threat linked to low-level attacks claimed online by a little-known network.

Belgium steps up security around the country as threats escalate against Jewish communities in Europe. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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Belgian army personnel patrol a street as part of a deployment of soldiers outside Jewish institutions in Antwerp and Brussels following attacks at Jewish sites in Belgium and other European countries, in Antwerp, Belgium, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Overview

  • Belgium’s rollout started Monday evening with about 200 soldiers guarding Jewish schools, the Jewish museum and the Israeli embassy in Brussels and Antwerp for three months under federal police command.
  • In Antwerp, a car was set on fire late Monday near the diamond district, and police arrested two local minors within minutes as prosecutors opened a probe into arson and suspected participation in a terrorist group and added a claim video to the case file.
  • The Antwerp arson followed two weeks of nighttime attacks on Jewish sites in Liège, Rotterdam and Amsterdam and the torching of four Jewish ambulances in London, with no injuries reported and UK counterterror police reviewing a claim of responsibility.
  • A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al‑Yamin al‑Islamiya, or HAYI, has posted claim videos on pro‑Iran Telegram channels, yet analysts from AFP and the ICCT say inconsistent branding and disputed posts cast doubt on its authenticity and suggest a possible Iranian front using young local recruits.
  • Belgian ministers say troops supplement police rather than replace them, and the defense minister will brief parliament on rules of engagement next week as multi‑country investigations test HAYI’s role and any Iranian ties.