(RightWing.org) – As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its fourth month, concerns continue to mount that the conflict could spread to neighboring countries. Some experts have predicted it could lead to an all-out war throughout the Middle East. Meanwhile, a recent report indicates that some of the violence associated with the fighting between Israeli Defense Forces and the Sunni Islamist terrorist group may have spread to Europe’s Scandinavian region.
On January 31, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s office posted a brief statement on X/Twitter announcing the discovery of a “dangerous object” at the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm. The notice warned that an “attempted attack” on a diplomatic mission would be considered an attack on both the individuals working there and Sweden itself.
Fox News later reported that experts thought the object might have been an explosive device. Local law enforcement officials destroyed the object.
The PM’s office also noted that law enforcement officials were investigating the incident with the assistance of the Swedish Security Service, the Säkerhetspolisen. The statement concluded by advising that police officials had “tightened surveillance [efforts] at the embassy and of Jewish institutions” throughout Sweden.
Sweden’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Tobias Billström, also weighed in on the incident. He condemned it and stressed that Sweden took seriously its obligation to protect foreign missions under the Vienna Convention. Billström also said his office contacted Israeli Ambassador Ziv Nevo Kulman, who confirmed that embassy staff members were doing “fine.”
Kulman posted a statement later in the day thanking Swedish officials for their “swift response” to the incident. He vowed that embassy staff wouldn’t be “intimidated” by terrorist activity.
The Säkerhetspolisen recently announced its decision to maintain a terrorist threat level of four out of five. The security service said recent concerns about mounting global violence coupled with rising threats from lone actors and Islamist groups.
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