Israel’s embassy in the Netherlands was firebombed on Thursday, weeks after Dutch police warned of a “serious threat” to the diplomatic mission.
Police in The Hague said that one suspect threw a “burning object” at the building, causing minor damage. Nobody was injured in the attack, which took place around 10:50 a.m.
The suspect was swiftly arrested by local security forces, police said in a post on X, adding that the investigation was ongoing and the area around the embassy had been cordoned off.
Large numbers of police, including bomb disposal squads, were called to the area after a suspicious backpack was found there.
“It is unacceptable that an attack like this can take place in the Netherlands. Fortunately, there were no injuries,” the embassy said in a statement.
“We trust that the authorities will take all possible measures to prevent attacks like this. This proves the dangerous consequences of hatred and incitement. This hatred cannot be tolerated,” it continued.
The Israeli embassy in The Hague has been under increased police surveillance since Feb. 8, when authorities warned of unspecified “serious threats” to its security amid the war with Hamas in Gaza.
In late January, an apparent explosive device was found near the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. The object was found outside the embassy grounds and the national bomb squad was dispatched to investigate.
Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Ziv Nevo Kulman confirmed reports of the attempted attack. “We thank the Swedish authorities for their swift response. We will not be intimidated by terror,” he said in a post on X.
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.
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.
Late last year, 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.”
