Iranian army chief claims Mossad responsible for Sydney attack

Israeli Foreign Minister Saar urged Jews living in western countries to move to Israel

A mourner places fresh flowers outside Bondi Pavilion, a week after the Bondi Beach shooting attack, in Sydney. AFP

A senior Iranian military commander has accused the Mossad of being behind the deadly shootings in Sydney, as Israel called on Jews in western countries to relocate.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for military cadets in Tehran on Sunday, Maj Gen Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, claimed Israel had a long history of attacking Jews abroad to portray itself as a victim.

He alleged that Israel had assassinated members of Jewish communities overseas to “instil fear” and promote what he called “reverse migration” to Israel.

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“In order to prevent reverse migration, save themselves from internal turmoil and instil anti-Semitism, they assassinated the Jewish community and their dependents in other countries to make them look like the oppressed,” he said.

Referring to the recent shooting at a Hanukkah gathering in Sydney, Gen Mousavi said Israel had effectively “committed suicide”, claiming Israelis had carried out similar attacks in the past. He provided no evidence for the allegation.

Australian authorities have said the December 14 attack at a Hanukkah event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, in which 15 people were killed, was inspired by the ideology of ISIS, not by a foreign state.

The Iranian accusations are the latest escalation in rhetoric between Tehran and Israel, amid heightened regional tensions linked to the Gaza war and broader Middle East conflict.

Anti-Israeli billboard depicting a cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Palestine Square in Tehran. EPA

Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged Jews living in western countries to move to Israel, citing rising anti-Semitism following the war in Gaza.

“Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere,” Mr Saar said at a public candlelighting ceremony marking the final day of Hanukkah. “But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience. Today, Jews are being hunted across the world.”

“Today, I call on Jews in England, Jews in France, Jews in Australia, Jews in Canada, Jews in Belgium: Come to the Land of Israel. Come home,” he said.

Israeli officials have repeatedly warned of a surge in anti-Semitism in western countries since the outbreak of war in Gaza where Israel's military killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, including tens of thousands of children and women.

Mr Saar has previously criticised European governments, including Britain, accusing them of failing to confront what he described as a “toxic wave of anti-Semitism”.