HAYI: Iranian Proxy Targeting Jewish And Israeli Sites in Europe
Jacob Zenn
Executive Summary:
Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI) is a newly emerged militant group, strongly suspected of being an Iranian proxy operating under the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)
Since March, HAYI has claimed over 15 non-lethal attacks across Europe against Jewish and Israeli targets, including synagogues and schools, aiming to instill fear without attracting a terrorist designation.
These coordinated attacks coincide with recent U.S.–Israeli military operations against Iran, raising concerns that HAYI could escalate its tactics to utilize lethal force against broader U.S. and Israeli interests.
In early March, a previously unknown militant group—Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), or “Islamic Movement of the Righteous Youth”—began claiming attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets across Europe. The attacks coincide with the beginning of the joint U.S.–Israeli military operations against Iran on February 28, suggesting HAYI is a new Iranian proxy in Europe, or at least acting in the interests of the Iranian regime. HAYI has avoided lethal attacks so far, suggesting its modus operandi in Europe aims to harm or strike fear in Jewish and Israeli communities while circumventing the “terrorist” label. This also distinguishes HAYI from more formal Iranian proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, or other Iranian agents that have attempted to kill Jews as far afield as Thailand (bangkokpost.com, November 26, 2020).
HAYI’s main targets include synagogues, schools, and community centers, especially in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The group’s first attack, for example, was a relatively small explosion at a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, which was likely intended to send a message to Jews or Israel (dw.com, March 9). Days later, a synagogue in Rotterdam suffered an arson attack, and a violent blast damaged an Orthodox Jewish school in Amsterdam (The Guardian, March 14; The Times of Israel, March 17). Both attacks were suspected of having links to Iran.
On March 24, HAYI claimed responsibility for a fire that destroyed four ambulances belonging to a Jewish charity in London’s Golders Green neighborhood (BBC, April 17). This occurred after an “ignited container” was thrown at a car outside the offices of Iran International, which is a London-based media agency that opposes the Iranian regime (The Guardian, April 16). Altogether, HAYI claimed more than 15 total attacks in the six weeks after the Liège attack, including one each in North Macedonia and Germany (X/@Minalami, April 19).
HAYI is suspected of being aligned with, or operating under, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), based on its attacks and media products (RFE/RL, April 17). HAYI’s Telegram channel was established as early as 2024, which suggests the IRGC or HAYI’s other masterminds were prepared to deploy cells well before the most recent war between Iran and the United States and Israel. The Telegram channel only became active this past March, however. Language about “avenging every child in Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and the resistance nations,” and threats to continue targeting U.S. and Israeli interests globally further suggest an IRGC role in HAYI media production (The Jerusalem Post, April 19).
HAYI is still not well-known and remains somewhat mysterious, despite its demonstrated ability to conduct operations in multiple countries. If HAYI’s operations continue with this kind of scope and tempo, the group could have a significant impact on Jewish communities across Europe. HAYI also demonstrates that pro-Iranian regime elements have an organized militant presence on European soil. The group could possibly “upgrade” its operations to lethal force against the same, or even broader targets, such as U.S. interests and personnel in Europe as well.
This article was originally published in Terrorism Monitor.
Jacob Zenn is the Editor of Terrorism Monitor and Militant Leadership Monitor, Senior Fellow on African and Eurasian Affairs at The Jamestown Foundation, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. He is the author of Unmasking Boko Haram: Exploring Global Jihad in Nigeria (Lynne Rienner, 2020) and has published widely on militant movements in leading academic journals. Zenn holds degrees from Georgetown Law and the Johns Hopkins SAIS Nanjing Center and has studied Uyghur and Persian in China and Uzbekistan.