The National Security Council issued an updated warning Sunday of terror threats against Israelis and Jews abroad ahead of the Jewish holiday season, which begins this weekend with Rosh Hashanah and ends three weeks later with the conclusion of Sukkot.

The NSC stressed that the assessment did not constitute new travel warnings, but was intended to reflect the latest trends in global terror activity and their impact on the threat facing Israelis abroad.

In a statement, the NSC, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office, said Iran and its proxies, Hezbollah, Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups, and global jihadi groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda, remain highly motivated to target Israelis and Jews worldwide.

Israel’s recent conflicts against Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and others, together with “incitement campaigns,” have led “to a steep increase in terrorist factions’ motivation to attack Israeli and Jewish targets around the world,” the NSC said.

The council again warned that October 7 — the third anniversary of Hamas’s 2023 onslaught — could “be the focus of protests and demonstrations (possibly involving violence), as well as increased efforts to carry out attacks.”

Iran, Hamas step up overseas threats

The NSC said Iran and its proxies remain the primary source of global terror threats against Israelis and Jews, with Tehran also motivated by a desire for revenge over blows it has suffered in recent years. Iran has sought to advance attacks through its own terror networks, various proxies and criminal organizations, according to the council.

Potential targets include Israeli diplomatic missions, senior Israeli officials, security personnel, Jewish community institutions and individual Israelis, the council said. It also described Hezbollah as a “significant potential threat,” citing the severe blows the group suffered in its war with Israel and its desire to avenge the deaths of senior members.

Israeli officials have warned for months of an unusually high rate of Iranian efforts to carry out attacks abroad. In March, a senior National Security Council official said veterans of Israel’s security establishment could not recall Iranian attempts on such a scale, amid what the official described as “record Iranian motivation” to target Israelis overseas.

In May, US prosecutors accused an alleged member of the Iran-aligned Kataeb Hezbollah militia of helping orchestrate at least 18 attacks in Europe and two in Canada targeting........

© The Times of Israel