The Islamic Republic of Iran reportedly recruits children as young as 14 for operations targeting Israeli sites in Europe

Image: Jihad Watch

A 15-year-old boy in Stockholm boards a taxi while concealing a loaded gun and asks to be taken to the Israeli embassy. In Gothenburg, a 13-year-old is apprehended while shooting at the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems. At the same site, a 16-year-old assists in planting homemade explosives at the main entrance.

Investigators suggest that these incidents are part of a growing trend where Iran-affiliated groups recruit local criminals, including minors, to target Jewish and Israeli sites in Europe.

These attacks highlight how the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran’s proxies in the Middle East is prompting Tehran to intensify its covert operations in Europe, raising concerns among governments already worried about rising tensions between communities divided over immigration issues.

Security agencies in both Sweden and Norway have issued warnings about Iranian-backed operations, with Norway raising its terror alert from medium to high in October, arming police forces, and instituting border controls with its Scandinavian neighbor.

In May, Brussels security services uncovered an attack on the Israeli embassy orchestrated by children as young as 14. The UK's MI5 has also warned of an uptick in Iran-linked attacks, with Nordic countries particularly vulnerable.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)