Indian security agencies have issued a high-level alert following intelligence warnings of potential terrorist attacks targeting Jewish establishments and interests across the country, coinciding with the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.
Sources told reporters that terrorist groups are planning strikes on Jewish sites in major cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. Security has been intensified at vulnerable locations, such as Chabad houses and areas frequented by the Jewish community or Israeli visitors.
The eight-day Hanukkah festival, known as the Festival of Lights, began at sundown on Sunday, December 14.
The alert comes hours after a deadly terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia, where gunmen opened fire on a large Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Australian authorities have confirmed at least 12 deaths and dozens injured in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described as a targeted assault on the Jewish community. New South Wales Police declared the incident a terrorist act.
Indian officials are treating the intelligence seriously, with heightened vigilance at key sites. Historical precedents, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks where the Nariman House Chabad center was specifically targeted, have underscored the risks to Jewish locations in India.
