Israel expressed concern on Thursday about "potential terrorist threats" against its athletes and tourists during the Olympic Games in Paris, in a letter it sent to the French government.
"There are those who are trying to undermine the sanctity of this joyous event," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a letter to his French counterpart, a copy of which was received by the media.
"We are currently assessing the potential threats posed by terrorist groups from Iran and other terrorist organizations that aim to carry out terrorist attacks against members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists during the Olympic Games," he added.
"This concern underscores the importance of our shared commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all participants," Katz was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.
The French authorities have mobilized exceptional security resources, with tens of thousands of security forces and soldiers, in a commitment to prevent a possible drone attack, while closing airspace up to 150 kilometers around Paris, in order to ensure the security of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics on the Seine River on Friday, July 26.
All 88 Israeli athletes participating in the Olympics will receive round-the-clock personal protection, provided by elite French police forces, both inside the Olympic Village and every time they leave the complex located north of Paris.
Later, the Israeli embassy said that athletes in Paris had received threats and their details had been published online in a campaign it blamed on Iran.
On Thursday, Israel accused Iran of practicing "digital terrorism" aimed at "sowing fear" among the Israeli Olympic delegation in Paris.
The Israeli Computer and Information Technology Administration and the Ministry of Culture and Sports said in a statement that "a group of hackers opened channels on social media in which they published personal information about members of the delegation and sent them threatening messages."
The statement added that the campaign was carried out "by trying to impersonate a French organization called GUD," without specifying whether it was referring to the far-right French union that was dissolved by the authorities in late June.
On Tuesday, International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach and French President Emmanuel Macron rejected a Palestinian request to ban Israel from the Olympic Games because of the war in Gaza.
The Palestinian Olympic Committee requested in a letter to the International Olympic Committee to impose a ban on Israel, saying that the bombing of the besieged Gaza Strip constitutes a violation of the Olympic truce.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called in his speech to the US Congress on Wednesday for a global coalition against Iran's "axis of terror," stressing that the United States and Israel "must stand together" against Tehran and its proxies.
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