On March 23, a shadowy Iran-linked organization called Ashab al Yamin claimed responsibility for setting a vehicle ablaze in Antwerp’s Jewish Quarter. The day before, the group said it was behind an arson attack on four ambulances owned by a Jewish non-profit in London. The incidents add to the growing number of claims of attacks by Ashab al Yamin against Jewish and Western targets in Europe.
A video made by Ashab al Yamin and disseminated on pro-Iran “Axis of Resistance” Telegram channels on Monday claimed responsibility for the arson attack on Appelmansstraat, one of Antwerp’s notable thoroughfares.
“The city of Antwerp in Belgium is one of the most important European cities. … It also has a large Zionist community. … The most important street in the city, Appelmansstraat, was targeted. [Our] operations will continue to escalate and intensify until the liberation of our occupied lands in beloved Palestine and revenge for the blood of the Palestinians, Lebanese, and all Muslims,” Ashab al Yamin stated.
Local media reports about an arson attack in Antwerp added credibility to Ashab al Yamin’s claim. The Flemish Radio and Television broadcasting organization (VRT) reported that a vehicle was set alight on Appelmansstraat and Vestingstraat, in the city’s Jewish Quarter, on Monday night. Law enforcement arrested two minors suspected of being involved in the incident. The report added that a judge was requested for “intentional arson at night and for participation in the activities of a terrorist group.”
On March 22, Ashab al Yamin said that it targeted the Machzike Hadath Synagogue in Golders Green, London, due to its ties to Israel.
The BBC reported that attackers targeted four ambulances in the synagogue’s parking lot. Law enforcement is seeking three suspects involved in the crime. Despite the claim by Ashab al Yamin and the group’s past activity across Europe in recent weeks, the incident is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, not terrorism. There were no reports of injuries in the attack.
The incidents in Antwerp and London raise the total number of attacks claimed by Ashab al Yamin to seven since it first emerged in early March. The group has targeted a range of sites, including a synagogue, a Jewish school, and an American-owned bank in the Netherlands, as well as a synagogue in Belgium. It also claimed responsibility for an attack on an unidentified “Zionist” site in Greece.
Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.
Tags: Ashab al Yamin, belgium, greece, Iran, netherlands
