The Australian government on Tuesday said it is expelling Iran's ambassador, accusing the country of being behind two antisemitic attacks in Melbourne and Sydney.
Australia has given the Iranian ambassador and three other officials seven days to leave the country -- the first such expulsion of an ambassador since World War II, Foreign Minister Penny Wong told a news conference.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Australian intelligence services had connected Iran to attacks on a Sydney restaurant and a Melbourne mosque.
“ASIO has gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion. The Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks,” Albanese told reporters, referring to the main domestic spy agency.
Notably, there has been a steep rise in antisemitic events in the two cities since Israel launched its War on Gaza in October 2023.