Australia on Tuesday expelled Iran’s ambassador after accusing Tehran of directing two antisemitic arson attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the decision was taken in response to state-sponsored terrorism on Australian soil.

According to the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the attacks included an October 2024 firebombing of a kosher café in Bondi and a December 2024 arson attack at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne. Albanese described the incidents as “cowardly, antisemitic attacks planned and financed by the Iranian regime.”  The ambassador was given seven days to leave the country, marking Australia’s first expulsion of an ambassador since the immediate post-World War II era.

Australian police and security agencies have been investigating both attacks for months. The Australian Federal Police (AFP), Victoria Police, and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation confirmed that the Melbourne synagogue fire was treated as a terrorist incident. A December 2024 joint counter-terrorism statement announced the case had been escalated to the Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team. In July 2025, the AFP reported the arrest of a second man linked to the synagogue arson.

In New South Wales, authorities tied the October Bondi café attack to a series of hate-filled, antisemitic incidents. NSW Police announced in March 2025 that multiple arrests had been made in connection with the Bondi arson and related attacks.

Albanese stressed that Australia’s action reflects a broader security stance toward Iran. In June, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the suspension of operations at the Australian Embassy in Tehran due to escalating threats.

“This government will always act to protect Australians and to ensure that foreign powers cannot operate with impunity on our soil,” Albanese told reporters.