Firebomb fury
Australia has sensationally kicked out Iran’s ambassador after blaming Tehran’s elite Revolutionary Guard for sickening antisemitic firebomb attacks on Jewish targets.
PM Anthony Albanese said evidence showed Iran was behind at least two incidents last year – including a Melbourne synagogue set ablaze and an arson strike on a deli in Sydney’s Bondi.
“These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression on our soil,” he blasted. “Your aggression will not be tolerated.”
Historic expulsion
It’s the first time since World War Two that Canberra has ordered an ambassador out of the country. Diplomatic staff have also been yanked out of Tehran as relations nosedive.
Legislation is being rushed through to slap the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Australia’s terror blacklist – a move already taken by the US and Canada.
Iran furiously denied the claims, branding them “politically motivated”. Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei insisted the regime was “investigating” but said the allegations were baseless.
Community backlash
The Jewish community welcomed the hard line. Israel’s envoy to Canberra hailed it as a “strong and important move”. But the row piles fresh strain on ties, with Israel recently cancelling visas for Aussie diplomats after Canberra recognised a Palestinian state.
Tensions have soared since Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel and the bloody Gaza war that followed. Jewish groups in Sydney and Melbourne have been hit with a wave of violence, from synagogue attacks to assaults on individuals.
Spy chiefs weigh in
Australia’s intelligence boss Mike Burgess said Iran wasn’t behind every incident, but a painstaking probe had linked the IRGC to the worst outrages. “Iran and its proxies lit the matches and fired the flames,” he said.
Cops believe overseas players may have paid local crooks to carry out some of the firebombings.
The expulsions mark a dramatic shift in Aussie foreign policy – and a warning shot to regimes accused of exporting violence to the country’s streets.
