A “suspicious package” was sent to President Isaac Herzog in London during his visit there, his office said Thursday, as Israel is reportedly boosting security measures at embassies and Jewish and Israeli targets worldwide amid fears of Iranian attacks.
Herzog’s office said that the package was being handled by both local and Israeli security forces, without providing further information.
The president met on Wednesday with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in what local media described as a tense meeting and Herzog himself said contained “tough” conversations.
Starmer had faced heavy criticism from many in his own Labour party for meeting with Herzog, with several calling on him to snub the visiting Israeli head of state. The prime minister, however, told reporters that he would never turn his back on diplomacy, and that he had used the meeting to urge Israel to change course in Gaza.
A number of anti-Israel protesters waving Palestinian flags demonstrated outside the meeting at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday, with some holding signs calling Herzog a war criminal.
According to the Ynet news site, the Shin Bet is stepping up security measures to defend official Israeli missions abroad, including embassies, delegations and flights. The site reported Thursday that the Shin Bet had deployed never-before-used technological capabilities to detect threats.
There was no official comment from Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
Iran has repeatedly attempted to attack Israeli embassies and consulates, and security concerns have been boosted over the past two years, against the backdrop of the ongoing Gaza war. Official Israeli institutions around the world have also regularly been targeted by other terror groups and anti-Israel extremists.
According to Ynet, officials are also concerned that Iran will be seeking revenge following the 12-day war fought between Jerusalem and Tehran in June.
Last month, Australia accused Iran of being behind arson attacks on a synagogue and a kosher restaurant. A teenager was arrested in France last week on suspicion of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy, several weeks after the El Al offices in Paris were defaced with anti-Israel graffiti.
Germany charged a Russian national last month with planning to target the Israeli embassy. And in May, two staffers for the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot dead outside the city’s Capital Jewish Museum while leaving an event.
Israel’s National Security Council typically issues an enhanced security warning for Israelis traveling abroad during the upcoming holiday period, which begins in 10 days, often warning of Iranian plots to harm Israeli targets.