A small explosion occurred on Tuesday outside the Greek offices of the Israeli company Zim Integrated Shipping Services, in a suspected attack by anti-Israel activists.
According to police sources cited by Shipping news service Tradewinds, an improvised explosive and two gas canisters were used in the pre-dawn blast in the port city of Piraeus, which caused slight material damage to a wall and a fuse panel.
Greek officials believe the attack likely targeted Zim, as pro-Palestinian leaflets were found near the crime scene. Police detained suspects who were later released, Tradewinds said, citing local media.
In addition to Zim, the targeted office building also houses the Greek branch of the maritime security firm Diaplous Group, a Cypriot company.
Last month, Israel’s National Security Council warned that since the start of the war with Hamas, “increased efforts have been detected on the part of Iran and its proxies, as well as on the part of Hamas and elements of global jihad, to attack Israeli and Jewish targets.”
On Dec. 26, Jerusalem confirmed that the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, India, was targeted by an explosive device. The explosive was set off near the diplomatic mission. Embassy staff was present at the time of the blast.
The previous month, a far-right activist was arrested in Tokyo after crashing his car into a barricade close to the entrance of the Israeli embassy. One police officer sustained minor injuries in the attack.
In mid-October, an Israeli embassy official was attacked in Beijing as Hamas called for a day of global jihad against the Jewish people.
A week later, Cypriot police arrested four Syrians after an explosive device was thrown 100 feet away from Israel’s embassy in Nicosia.
This week’s suspected terrorist attack in Greece also comes against the background of renewed attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on international shipping in the Red Sea on Tuesday, damaging a Malta-flagged Greek-managed container vessel.
The Houthis have vowed to target any Israel-bound ship, regardless of its ownership. Over the past three months, the terrorist group has attacked or harassed at least 27 vessels in international waters.
