A string of firebombings and supposed events aimed at Jewish-linked sites across Europe have been blamed on a barely known faction named Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), or simply Ashab al-Yamin. Media and security sources have often labeled this group as an Iran-supported entity, allegedly tied to the IRGC.
Since March 9, HAYI has been linked to what some experts describe as “hybrid warfare” activities across various nations including Greece, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and the UK. One of the most notable episodes was the torching of four ambulances in Golders Green, North London, on March 22.
The rise of this group comes amid intensified US-Israeli hostilities against Iran. Meanwhile, certain news outlets and hawkish commentators have cautioned that Tehran might broaden the conflict by attacking targets across Europe.
However, a deeper dive prompts serious doubts regarding the group’s real existence and the pro-Israel organizations promoting this narrative.
Many incidents attributed to HAYI do not specifically target Jewish populations, others remain unclear with scant verified details about the culprits. Aside from sporadic claims and online announcements, evidence confirming this group’s reality is weak.
In times of conflict, stories can spread faster than facts.
Concurrently, European and UK authorities are moving toward designating the IRGC as a terrorist entity – a drive largely championed by pro-war, pro-Israel lobbyists. The same forces promoting the HAYI story are spearheading campaigns in Western media to build support for war and accelerate this political aim. This suggests that unsubstantiated allegations of an Iran-linked threat may be exploited to instill public fear and rationalize broad new security measures as the war expands.
This report analyzes each reported assault, the sources pushing the HAYI discourse, and how assertions of a coordinated campaign might be influencing public opinion—stoking concerns about rising antisemitism, demands for tighter security, and the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist group amid an illegal conflict.
But what exactly is Ashab al-Yamin? Where did it originate? Does it even exist?
Our investigation finds no evidence of such an organization. It appears to be a fabricated front. Half the events attributed to it never occurred, while the rest were amateurish and insignificant—with no injuries reported. One theory suggests these were clumsily executed by hired low-level criminals or inept Sayanim, Mossad’s network of informal operatives scattered worldwide. This analysis shows even Israeli authorities and their think tank affiliates admit that “gig criminals” were involved in these outcomes, paralleling similar low-impact, casualty-free events in Australia (fourteen incidents between October 2024 and January 2025) which police declared “fake” in March 2025.
What happened?
Between March 9 and 23, ten incidents were linked to Ashab al-Yamin. Of these, five reportedly never took place. Three of these were entirely fabricated (Greece, 11/12 March; France, 23 March; Haarlem, Netherlands, 23 March). One was unrelated to the alleged terror group and did not target Jewish people (Antwerp, Belgium, 23 March). The fifth was only reportedly “planned” but did not materialize (Chabad Hebrew School, Heemstede, Netherlands, 23 March).
The remaining five incidents, or “attacks,” did happen. Four involved minor explosions, sometimes accompanied by small fires (Liège, Belgium, 9 March; Rotterdam, Netherlands, 13 March; Bank branch, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 15 March). The final one was the arson of four ambulances in Golders Green, London, on March 22.
Disinformation – Fake attacks
The International Centre for Counter Terrorism in The Hague expressed doubts about several of these incidents. It noted on March 23 that “HAYI has claimed attacks against an unspecified site in Greece on 11 March, as well as in France and the Netherlands on 23 March, which likely constitute disinformation.” The ICCT’s review of the “Greek attack video” showed it actually depicted an explosion at a residential building in Rotterdam on March 3. Likewise, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs conceded that the Greek incident “may constitute disinformation.”
While these bodies attribute the misinformation to the alleged terror group on behalf of Iran, a crucial question remains: if HAYI did not produce it, then who did?
A fourth fake attack involved a supposed arson against a vehicle in Antwerp’s Jewish neighborhood on March 23, as claimed by the Israeli Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. Nevertheless, the Dutch newspaper HLN reported that the car owner was Moroccan, not Jewish:
Fatia M., the car’s owner, praised emergency responders and police. She said, “These vandals must be severely punished. I believe they first smashed the window to search the car. There were jewels inside that I received from my late father. They were stolen. After that, the perpetrators set the car on fire. Why? This is a 2005 Ford Fiesta. What a senseless act that is?”
Many English-language outlets said the car was in the Jewish quarter. Yet some accounts mentioned it was near the district’s edge, and Nieuwsblad reported it was “just outside the Jewish neighborhood” (“net buiten de Joodse wijk”). Two minors were arrested regarding the incident.
The last non-occurrence involved a purported plan to attack a Chabad school in Heemstede. Dutch police detained two teens, aged 14 and 17 on March 23, “on suspicion of preparing a terrorist attack.” The younger reportedly possessed “fireworks.” Authorities were considering the possibility that a synagogue near Adriaan Pauwlaan, close to the arrests, was the intended target. Other reports claimed the target could have been a local Chabad Hebrew School. Chabad is known as an ultra genocidal Jewish supremacist cult. Even the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs was cautious here, noting the arrests “may have been linked to Ashab al-Yamin; however, no confirmed connection has been established.” They incorrectly claimed police had “thwarted a planned bombing.”
Real events
Of the five genuine incidents, four involved minor explosions caused by alleged improvised explosive devices (IEDs), sometimes followed by brief fires. The similarity among these suggests a single group might have been behind them all.
In Liège, a synagogue was hit by a small incendiary device which reportedly damaged the front door and windows.
On March 13, a synagogue in Rotterdam experienced an alleged explosion that scorched its door. Authorities arrested four males aged 17 to 19 in connection with the event. Subsequently, a 19-year-old was also detained, along with two more suspects (aged 20 and 23) on March 27.
The explosion outside a Jewish school on March 14 caused minimal visible damage. The clearest image, sourced from video footage, shows a report mentioning the blast “damaged a drainage pipe and charred an outer wall.”
The explosion at Amsterdam’s Atrium on March 15 is said to have targeted the Bank of New York Mellon. A video released by the alleged terror group accurately shows the bank’s office on the fourth floor of the building’s South Tower. However, the homemade IED was thrown at the ground floor entrance, visible in the image above.
The Golders Green arson, where four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire, looks to have been executed by three men captured on CCTV footage. While suspicions remain for the Dutch incidents, the Metropolitan Police quickly released on bail two UK nationals linked to the London attack, sparking speculation about the attack’s motives.
Below is the English version of a statement reportedly issued by the unknown terror group:
The Machzike Hadath Synagogue in London is one of the important centers of Orthodox Judaism, and its deepest connection to Israel is through Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel and one of the most influential thinkers of Religious Zionism, who served at this synagogue before immigrating to the Land of Israel. This historical bond continues to this day, and the synagogue has become one of the main bastions of support for Israel in Britain, so much so that in June 2024, Rishi Sunak, the former British Prime Minister, visited this site amidst the Gaza war to affirm, alongside his expression of solidarity with the Jewish community, his country’s unwavering support for Israel.
This message is strangely composed. The attack actually targeted four ambulances operated by Hatzola Northwest, parked near the synagogue, not the synagogue itself. Did the purported IRGC operatives mistake ambulances for the synagogue? The phrase “land of Israel” is a distinctly Zionist expression. The Machzike Hadath Synagogue is hardly a major Orthodox Judaism hub (note the British spelling “centre” replaced here by Americanized “center”). Rabbi Kook, while significant in Religious Zionism, is unlikely to be a prime target for Palestinians or Iranians since he died over ninety years ago. His association with the synagogue is likely known only to congregants.
The synagogue isn’t among Britain’s leading supporters of “Israel.” Numerous Zionist bodies hold greater influence. Though the synagogue aligns with Jewish supremacist ideology, it’s not explicitly Zionist compared to numerous other synagogues, Jewish schools, youth groups, and formal Zionist affiliates. Its roots lie in the so-called Litvak or ‘Misnagdim’ community from Lithuania.
This synagogue is part of the Federation of Synagogues uniting Hasidic and Central-Orthodox temples. Though multiple synagogues from the extremist Chabad cult belong to this federation, the “Z” word is absent from its website, contrasting with numerous synagogues affiliated with the overtly Zionist United Synagogue movement. At best, this claim seems an unconvincing, possibly AI-generated or insider-crafted statement.
Regarding the “real” attacks
It’s notable how minor these “real” incidents were—no deaths and barely any broken glass, except for the ambulance arson. Iran is currently fending off US-Israeli strikes with advanced missile systems and underground facilities, destroying American military assets worth billions in the region. Meanwhile, European and British citizens are asked to accept the idea that Iran dispatched inept individuals, some teenagers, to set small fires near Jewish or unrelated venues, some extinguished by fire extinguishers.
Ashab al-Yamin appears to be far less formidable than portrayed by the media. Let’s examine the evidence offered to support the claim that this IRGC proxy group exists. The main “proof” involves claims that Telegram channels linked to the Axis of Resistance and HAYI itself took credit for the attacks.
The three sources of alleged Telegram claims
Mainstream media frequently states that these attacks were mostly claimed by the new faction through Telegram channels aligned to the Axis of Resistance and HAYI’s own channel. However, this narrative falters once we learn that these Telegram channels became active only after five attacks had already occurred. One channel was created in 2023 but remained inactive until around March 16, after which it saw activity post five events. The second was established only on March 21, just before the remaining five incidents took place.
Videos claiming responsibility were posted there, but only after circulating on other pro-Iran/Axis of Resistance channels. For instance, on March 11, Sabereen News shared a video depicting an incendiary device being placed at a Liège synagogue on March 9.
These channels reportedly had “a few dozen followers” when activated. They are described vaguely as “an allegedly official Telegram account of HAYI” or “the Telegram channel HAYI uses to claim its attacks,” with no specific usernames or links published.
Second HAYI Telegram Channel
A second Telegram account was reportedly launched on March 21, two days before the Golders Green ambulance arson on March 23. It immediately posted the claim for the London attack, including a QR code linking to the channel. The ICCT describes these channels generically as “another Telegram account, likewise posing as an official HAYI mouthpiece” or “a second HAYI-affiliated channel.” No direct t.me handle or exact name has been disclosed, though the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs published a screenshot of one, which has since been deleted.
It is claimed that SITE Intelligence Group was the first to disseminate claims from this second Telegram channel starting March 21. SITE is a known Zionist intelligence front run by Rita Katz, daughter of a Zionist spy executed in Iraq in 1969. Its involvement followed earlier interventions by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Israeli government.
So, who exactly has propagated these claims about Telegram activity? Three primary sources stand out.
Foundation for Defense of Democracies
On March 12, Joe Truzman published a brief article both on the Long War Journal site (which he edits) and on the Foundation for Defense of Democracies website, where he is employed. He was the first to suggest an Iran link: “The claimed attacks could signal that Iran or Iran-aligned actors are executing acts of terrorism in Europe.” FDD is a Likud-aligned entity, and as former Israeli Ministry official Sima Vaknin-Gil acknowledged, it is used by the regime to gather intelligence: ‘we have FDD. We have others working on this.’
However, FDD’s claims gained limited attention—mostly cited by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on X and niche pro-Israel outlets. They did not break into mainstream media widely, and social media mentions were sparse. More influential players were needed.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs
The second source, from March 16, was Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. Almost all English-language coverage took its lead from this intervention. This Ministry has taken over international hasbara operations since the Ministry of Strategic Affairs was downgraded. It now funds overseas proxies and generates propaganda to steer global narratives. Minister Amichai Chikli’s department relaunched the Concert project post-October 2023 as Voices of Israel, tasked with going “on the offensive” against critics.
The Ministry channels funds through front groups to avoid foreign-agent detection while creating propaganda. It allocated $2 million to STOIC for secretive social media campaigns targeting US lawmakers and has poured millions into campus activities and media kits. It also issues funding calls to support settler outreach and anti-delegitimization videos. Israel’s propaganda machinery now operates under a single roof, quietly extending its reach worldwide.
The International Centre for Counter Terrorism
The third source alleging Iranian involvement is a respected think tank based in The Hague – the International Centre for Counter Terrorism (ICCT). On March 23, coinciding with the London attack, the ICCT published a report. Following this, major outlets like the BBC began to mention potential Iran links, although CNN appears not to have touched the story.
The ICCT is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and lists several partners associated with Western military and intelligence circles, including NATO, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, RUSI Europe, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and USAID.
Julian Lanchès, a Junior Research Fellow at ICCT and former employee of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), authored the report on Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia. The ISD is a well-known instrument of Apartheid Israel’s interests and is connected to numerous Zionist networks. Founded by Lord Weidenfeld—a publishing magnate linked to the first Israeli president, Chaim Weizmann—the ISD’s board includes prominent financial and military figures such as former British Army Chief of Staff Charles Guthrie, who also advises neoconservative and pro-Zionist groups.
The ISD has received funding from multiple Western governments, including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Canada, Australia, and key UK departments like the Home Office (linked to propaganda group RICU) and Foreign Office, as well as the US State Department and the EU. The International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King’s College, supported by the Eranda Rothschild Foundation and other pro-settler Zionist family foundations, is also connected.
Lanchès studied War Studies at King’s College, which hosts the International Centre for Study of Radicalisation (ICSR), an institution founded to combat the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement and supported by Zionist-aligned foundations.
When ICCT terrorism experts mention Israel or Zionism, their statements clearly reflect Israeli-centric perspectives. The image above shows Bibi van Ginkel appearing on Dutch TV to make false claims about Jewish supremacist thugs terrorizing Amsterdam during a Maccabi Tel Aviv game in November 2024. The ICCT reported she discussed “the possible qualification of the attack as terrorism or vigilant terrorism,” referring not to the Maccabi fans but to the courageous Muslims who resisted them. In December 2023, she lied on Dutch public broadcaster NPO, claiming “Hamas itself now also has a network here, that had planned attacks against Jewish institutions. And that really is a new development.” The ICCT thus functions as a subordinate mouthpiece to the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs.
History of False Flags
Zionists have a history of conducting false flag operations. The Lavon Affair (Operation Susannah) is a well-known example: Israeli Defense Minister Pinchas Lavon planned to use Egyptian Jews and undercover agents to bomb American, British, and Egyptian facilities in Cairo. The aim was to shift blame to Arabs and convince Western powers to maintain presence in the Suez Canal. Instead, eight Egyptian Jews were publicly tried and convicted, including two executed. This led to a chain of events culminating in the Suez invasion and, as Leonard Weiss notes, France accelerated nuclear cooperation with Israel, enabling it to develop nuclear weapons. This case highlights how false flags can profoundly shape history.
It’s also established that Zionists created a fake terror group in Lebanon called the Front for the Liberation of Lebanon from Foreigners (FLLF). Operating from 1980-1983, it presented itself as a Lebanese resistance entity but was, in fact a covert Israeli terrorist outfit. Established by IDF Chief Rafael Eitan and overseen by Generals Avigdor Ben-Gal and Meir Dagan (later Mossad chief), its goal was to sow chaos among Palestinians and Syrians while obscuring Israeli involvement. It used car bombings and other terror tactics under the guise of Lebanese sectarian conflict.
Have false flags occurred in Europe? MI5 whistleblower Annie Machon claimed MI5 determined Zionists bombed their own London embassy in 1994. The killing of Palestinian cartoonist Naji El Ali in Knightsbridge in 1987 was also carried out by Zionists using Palestinians as cover. In 1988, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher expelled the entire Mossad station from the UK due to these activities.
More recently, a wave of alleged “antisemitic” incidents in Australia was revealed by New South Wales Police in March 2025 to be a hoax. The claimed attacks were carried out by organized crime groups. Israeli sources promoted this interpretation:
- Peter Wertheim, Executive Council of Australian Jewry – “low-level local criminals paid to provide crime as a service… a web of local and off-shore criminal intermediaries.” (27 August 2025)
- Mossad (statement via Israeli PM’s office) – “terror without Iranian fingerprints, high compartmentalization, recruitment of foreigners, use of criminals, and covert communications,” (26 October 2025).
The alleged use of criminal networks plays a central role in the Ashab al-Yamin story, at least for the actual events.
The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs claimed the incidents might have involved “contracted operatives – local criminals or youth recruited and paid through intermediaries, similar to models previously used by Iranian networks in Europe.”
The ICCT attempted to rationalize the peculiarities, stating:
“Another relevant development is the emergence of a new crime–terror nexus, whereby hostile state actors increasingly cultivate ties with criminal networks—from organized crime to petty local criminals—and employ them for hybrid activities. Iran, for example, has reportedly commissioned criminal gangs such as Foxtrot and Rumba in Sweden, including for the aforementioned grenade attack against the Israeli embassy, as well as groups like the Hells Angels for synagogue attacks in Germany.”
Is this a new Mossad tactic—using “gig criminals” to stage fake terror plots to push foreign policy goals? If so, as many have learned: when it comes to Zionism, every accusation could be a confession.
Original article: mintpressnews.com
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