Israel sends secret agents to guard athletes at Paris Olympics amid surge in threats of anti-Semitic violence across Europe

Israel has deployed secret agents to guard athletes at the Paris Olympics, amid growing threats of anti-Semitic violence across Europe.

Armed members of the Shin Bet are preparing to ensure the safety of some 88 Israeli athletes and their staff. However, not everyone will have their own bodyguard, according to Israel’s Minister of Culture.

Miki Zohar told The Telegraph that preparations for the largest ever security operation for Israeli athletes had been underway for more than a year, with the team’s security budget being doubled.

The move comes as threats against Jews and Israelis continue to increase at an alarming rate as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues in the Middle East.

Former Shin Bet officer Lior Akerman also told the newspaper that the officers are “equipped with weapons and technologies” and that they also receive help from local security and police services.

The security operation has been called the “largest” ever for Israeli athletes. Pictured: French forces stand guard at the Arc de Triomphe on July 20, 2024

The massive security measures begin upon the athletes’ arrival in Paris, through every stage of the Games and until their return to Israel.

Akerman assured that thanks to the “combination of Israeli experience and knowledge and cooperation with local security forces,” Israel now has “an excellent and comprehensive response to the security of the delegation.”

Former Shin Bet leader Yaakov Peri confirmed Akerman’s statement and confirmed that the Israeli intelligence agents were most likely already in France and were conducting checks there.

He also called the operation “one of the greatest security challenges” an Israeli delegation has ever faced.

“The threat to the team could come from anywhere. There’s no doubt that there’s danger,” Peri warned chillingly.

The former leader added that Hamas or other terrorist groups could potentially pose a danger, but “Iran is behind everything and France worries us most of all because of the high level of anti-Semitism there.”

Thanks to the scale of the carefully planned operation, the Israeli sports team does not have to avoid any events or venues and can move freely around the venue and stadium as it normally does.

France is considered a “category 2” country, meaning the Israeli government considers the country a “potential threat” to Israelis.

The massive security effort begins from the moment the athletes arrive in Paris until the moment they return to Israel. Pictured: Police stand guard around the security perimeter around the Seine to allow people to cross on July 20, 2024

Since the war began on October 7, when Hamas militants stormed a music festival in southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, the Israeli government has repeatedly issued travel advisories to its citizens traveling abroad due to a “growing threat from Iran, along with Hamas and jihadist groups, who vigorously promote attacks against Israelis and Jews.”

The massive security operation ahead of the Olympics, which begins next Friday, comes after prominent French Jews raised alarm after the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance won a surprise victory in parliamentary elections on July 7, criticizing one of its key figures for alleged anti-Semitism.

The NFP alliance, which includes the Socialists and the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of divisive leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, came from behind to win 182 seats in parliament, beating President Macron’s centrist Together coalition with 168 seats.

The far-right Rassemblement National (RN) finished third with just 143 seats, despite having been in a convincing lead after the first round of elections two weeks ago.

Critics had already condemned the RN before the second round of the elections on July 7, calling the party a party of racists with a lot of xenophobia.

But LFI leader Melenchon is extremely unpopular among France’s Jewish population, with many accusing him of harboring anti-Semitic sentiments.

Moshe Sebbag, rabbi of the Great Synagogue of Paris, said after the election that “it seems like there is no future for Jews in France” and advised younger Jews to “go to Israel.”

“People my age, we have built our lives here… we fear for the future of our children,” he said The Times of Israel.

Official figures show that the number of anti-Semitic acts in France tripled in the first months of 2024 compared to the same period a year ago.

Of the 1,676 anti-Semitic acts recorded in 2023, 12.7 percent took place in schools