The National Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Bureau released a biannual travel advisory on Monday, ahead of the High Holy Days, warning that Western Europe may become the scene of Islamic State terror attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets.
"During this period, the potential threat has grown," the Counter-Terrorism Bureau warned.
The Bureau referred to the May 4 deadly shooting attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels, in which a French-Muslim gunman killed four people – two of them Israelis. The gunman had returned from Syria, where he fought alongside radical rebel groups.
"There are concerns about additional attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets around the world, with an emphasis on Western Europe, by global jihadi elements (including the Islamic State), particularly by veterans of Syria and Iraq who return to their countries," the Bureau stated. Recent combat in Gaza has also led to a rise in anti-Israel demonstrations, it added.
At the same time, Iran and Hezbollah continue to wage a global campaign of terrorism, targeting Israeli and Jewish targets, with an emphasis on soft targets such as tourists, rabbis, Chabad homes, and heads of Jewish communities, the communique said.
Iranian and Hezbollah terrorists are also seeking to target Israeli business people and senior former officials for kidnapping or murder.
The Bureau renewed a severe travel warning for the Sinai peninsula due to the activities of terror organizations, particularly Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis. It warned Israelis that security threats in Africa to Israeli business targets have also grown.
In total, it placed 41 travel advisories of varying severity on countries and regions around the world.
In 2013, the Bureau released a communique before Passover, warning that a global Shi'ite terrorism network made up of Iranian Quds Force operatives and Hezbollah continues to target Israelis overseas.