Israel said to boost security for Olympic athletes after killings of terror leaders
Additional security personnel stationed around Israeli delegation in Paris at Olympic Village amid fears of retaliation
Security around Israel’s athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris was upped on Wednesday as authorities prepared for potential reprisals for the recent killings of top Hamas and Hezbollah officials, according to reports in Hebrew media outlets.
The decision to reinforce the Israeli delegation’s security followed the killing of Hezbollah military leader Fuad Shukr in an Israeli strike on Tuesday night and the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh several hours later — which Israel has not commented on.
The Shin Bet security agency, tasked with protecting Israel’s Olympic delegation through the games, decided in a situational assessment to bolster its security team with additional Shin Bet guards and French security officers in light of the developments back home, Ynet reported.
The guards were stationed in multiple facilities where members of the Israeli delegation were present, including in the Olympic Village. At the same time, athletes were also briefed on conduct and on possible threats that could be directed against them.
The Israeli team was placed under high security from the moment it arrived in Paris ahead of the games. Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned of potential threats from Iran-backed groups against Israeli athletes and tourists amid the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Last week reports emerged that many members of the Israeli delegation had received threatening emails and phone calls inviting them to their own funerals and telling them not to attend the Olympics because if they did, there would be another “Munich 1972.”
The threat refers to the Munich Olympics, during which a cell of Black September terrorists broke into the Olympic village and took Israeli athletes hostage, eventually killing 11 and a German police officer.
The athletes were also the target of an apparent doxing cyberattack last weekend, when data including their blood test results and login credentials were published on Telegram by a hacker group calling itself “Zeus.” The group also leaked personal information revealing the athletes’ military status on social media.
France’s cybercrime unit said it was pushing to get the data removed from social media.
Additionally, French police said on Friday that they were investigating a person who threatened on social media to attack President Isaac Herzog, who had been in Paris for the opening ceremony.
The threat was posted to X from the Val-de-Marne region southeast of Paris, and was being investigated by the anti-terrorism unit of the regional police, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
