Back in January, the boss of the Australian federal police said it was investigating if bad actors overseas could be paying to whip up antisemitism and undermine social cohesion in Australia.
As the government struggled to counter an alarming, rapid spate of vandalism and violent attacks on synagogues and Jewish community sites in Sydney and Melbourne, commissioner Reece Kershaw said overseas groups might be recruiting locals to carry out crimes.
It was an explanation met with some scepticism at the time. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, instead blamed Labor’s support for a UN resolution on Israel’s occupation of Gaza for the synagogue attack and Labor’s “extreme anti-Israeli position”.
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But on Monday, the Asio director general, Mike Burgess, briefed the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, that they had “credible intelligence” that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was in fact behind the attacks.
Delivering the shocking news that the Iranian regime directed the attacks against the Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney, Burgess said other crimes could have been bankrolled by Tehran and investigations were ongoing.
Iran has paid Hells Angels members for attacks overseas in the past, though in those cases the strikes were more targeted – attacking dissidents and foes. Here those allegedly involved are considered less sophisticated.
The government’s response was swift.
Along with the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, Albanese and Burke announced plans to expel Iran’s ambassador to Canberra. Declared “persona non grata” by the government, Ahmad Sadeghi will have seven days to leave. It is the first time since the second world war that a foreign envoy has been kicked out. Australia’s embassy in Tehan has been shuttered and diplomats there were moved to a third country.
Changes to the criminal code are being planned to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation in Australia. The new laws are required because current powers used to officially designate terror groups are for non-state organisations. Created after the 1979 revolution, the IRGC is a massive regime-backed organisation which answers directly to Iran’s supreme leader.
Israel’s embassy in Canberra called the news “a strong and important move”. A spokesperson added: “Iran’s regime is not only a threat to Jews or Israel, it endangers the entire free world, including Australia.”
Foreign diplomats and governments overseas learned of the news at the same time as the Australian people. Briefings were being hastily organised for embassies on Tuesday night.
The decisive response from Labor might go some way to counter criticism Albanese and his ministers have not been strong enough to push back against rising instances of antisemitism in Australia since 7 October.
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But probably before long, Israel and conservative voices in Australia will resume attacks on Albanese, especially before the UN general assembly meeting in New York next month, when Australia will formally recognise Palestinian statehood. The Coalition has already pointed out it had called for the listing of the IRGC since 2023.
Australia expels Iranian ambassador over evidence Iran directed antisemitic attacks – video
Netanyahu is increasingly isolated on the world stage and lashed out at Albanese last week.
The revelations will also serve as a test of the foreign interference laws passed by the Turnbull government back in 2017. The work of Asio and other law enforcement agencies has revealed the extraordinary lengths individuals and governments overseas will go to in their efforts to undermine the Australian community, targeting Jews and putting lives at risk.
In the nearly two years since 7 October, Albanese has repeatedly insisted that Australians want the killing in Gaza to end and for tensions stemming from the bloody war not be brought here.
For now, at least, both those hopes remain unrealised.