Israel warns of ongoing terror threats to Jews, Israelis abroad ahead of High Holidays

By Nava Freiberg

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6 September 2026, 11:05 am

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Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

Armed police officers stand with their weapons outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, north Manchester, on October 2, 2025. (Paul Currie / AFP)

The National Security Council issues an updated warning of terror threats against Israelis and Jews abroad ahead of the Jewish holiday season, which begins this weekend with Rosh Hashanah and ends three weeks later with the conclusion of Sukkot.

In a statement, the NSC, which is part of the Prime Minister’s Office, says that Iran and its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, and global jihadi groups Islamic State and al-Qaeda, remain highly motivated to target Israelis and Jews worldwide.

Israel’s recent conflicts against Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, and others, together with “incitement campaigns,” have led “to a steep increase in terrorist factions’ motivation to attack Israeli and Jewish targets around the world,” the NSC says.

The council again warns that October 7 — the third anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel — could “be the focus of protests and demonstrations (possibly involving violence), as well as increased efforts to carry out attacks.”

The council advises against travel to high-risk countries including Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen — which is in any case forbidden by law — as well as countries that neighbor Iran, and Egypt (including Sinai), Jordan, Somaliland, and others.

It also notes a “marked increase in lone-wolf attacks” stemming from “ideological radicalization” and “worsening anti-Israel discourse online.”

The council urges Israelis to exercise caution and refrain from displaying Israeli or Jewish symbols in countries with a Level 3 threat level.

In case of suspected threats abroad, Israelis should first contact local security services and then the NSC’s hotline at +972-2-6667444.

Two people were killed on October 2, 2025, when a man rammed his car into the gates of a Manchester synagogue during prayer services on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year. In 2019, two residents of Germany’s Halle were shot dead on the street during an attempted massacre by a gunman at the city’s synagogue on Yom Kippur.