WASHINGTON – A senior Middle Eastern security source exposed that 45 Israeli embassies and consulates have been attacked worldwide in the two years since October 7, 2023, describing an unprecedented wave of violence against Israel’s diplomatic network.
The source, who spoke on Tuesday at the MEAD (Middle East-America Dialogue) summit in Washington on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the intelligence, added, “The last time we saw anything like this was in 1982,” noting that the attempted assassination of Israel’s ambassador in London that year was followed days later by Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
The MEAD summit convenes senior officials and experts from across the region for off-the-record discussions each September in Washington. This year’s gathering drew delegates from across the Middle East and the United States for closed-door sessions on security, diplomacy, and regional integration.
The attacks on Israeli embassies
Since the Hamas massacre of October 7, incidents targeting Israeli diplomatic facilities or personnel have been reported across multiple continents. Examples include:
Beijing, October 2023: An employee at Israel’s embassy was stabbed; a foreign suspect was detained by Chinese authorities.
Stockholm, January 2024: Police destroyed a “live” device found outside the Israeli embassy; Sweden’s security service is investigating it as a terrorist crime.
The Hague, March 2024: A suspect was arrested after a burning object was hurled at Israel’s embassy. In a separate incident in August 2025, vandals smashed the embassy’s door and splashed red paint.
Mexico City, May 2024: Violent protesters clashed with police outside the Israeli embassy; Molotov cocktails and fireworks were used, and one protester lost a hand.
Bucharest, June 2024: A man was detained after allegedly attacking the Israeli embassy with a Molotov cocktail.
Belgrade, June 2024: A crossbow-wielding assailant attacked a police officer outside the Israeli embassy area and was shot dead; the policeman was wounded in the neck.
Copenhagen, October 2024: Two pre-dawn explosions – likely hand grenades – detonated near the Israeli embassy; three Swedish suspects were arrested.
London, April 2025: A 33-year-old man was charged with a terror offense after attempting to enter the Israeli embassy grounds while armed with a knife.
The security source’s comparison to 1982 refers to that year’s June 3 attempted assassination of Israeli ambassador Shlomo Argov in London by the Abu Nidal Organization. Israel launched its Lebanon operation three days later, on June 6, a sequence widely cited in historical accounts.
Israeli and European security services have warned that state and non-state actors are probing vulnerabilities around Israeli and Jewish sites, sometimes using criminal proxies. Sweden’s security service has publicly assessed that Iran has used criminal networks in Sweden to conduct violent operations against foreign targets, including Israeli interests.
The source emphasized that Israel views attacks on its diplomats as attacks on the state itself and warned that plots against missions often coincide with efforts to target Jewish institutions in the same cities.