Israeli tourists attacked by axe-wielding man in Mongolia — reports

A group of Israeli tourists was attacked in Mongolia by an assailant allegedly armed with an axe and shouting antisemitic slurs, according to Hebrew media reports.

According to the reports based on accounts from the tourists, a group of six Israeli travelers was preparing to spend the night at a campsite in the northern part of the East Asian country last week when a man heard them speaking Hebrew and confronted them.

The man, who appeared to be intoxicated, shouted “Heil Hitler” and told the Israelis to get out before running toward them with an axe, the reports said.

Three men, who had served in the IDF, fought back long enough for the group to escape, but one man was struck in the face and suffered a fractured jaw, they said. He was flown back to Israel for medical treatment.

Local authorities invited the Israelis to file a police complaint, but they declined, the report said. The incident was condemned by Mongolian officials.

Mongolia has generally been seen as a safe destination for Israeli travelers, even as antisemitism has spiraled out of control in much of the world.