Adversary Intelligence — 2026-06-24

ASIO Chief Reveals IRGC Agents Directed Arson Attacks on Jewish Targets in Sydney and Melbourne

BLUFCanberra now holds named IRGC officials and a documented chain of command but has yet to signal any intent to convert that intelligence into sanctions or criminal referrals.

In his Annual Threat Assessment on Wednesday, ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess attributed both 2024 arson attacks on Australian Jewish targets to IRGC-directed operatives who had previously lived in Australia 12. An Australian citizen now based in Iran directed the October firebombing of Lewis' Continental Kitchen in Bondi; a former Australian resident living in Iraq directed the December attack on Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne 12. Burgess named the Iran-based operative as a senior Qods Force agent of Department 11,000, a covert Western-operations unit, and said ASIO has identified the agent's supervisor by name 2. The Iraq-based director, recruited through Iraqi-based militia networks, was imprisoned after his IRGC handlers withdrew support following ASIO's public attribution and subsequent law enforcement pressure 12.

Analysis
In his Annual Threat Assessment, Burgess named Qods Force Department 11,000 as directing both attacks, establishing an institutional link between IRGC leadership and domestic violence on Australian soil and elevating the legal exposure of identified Iranian officials. The Iran-based operative's senior rank within a covert Western-operations unit signals a deliberate, resourced targeting program rather than peripheral criminal exploitation. ASIO has identified the supervisor by name, giving Canberra a lever not yet publicly deployed. Tehran withdrew support from the Iraq-based director after public attribution, though that withdrawal may reflect IRGC internal security discipline rather than successful external deterrence. Canberra has not signaled whether it will convert that intelligence advantage into targeted sanctions or criminal referrals.

4 sources

Iranian agents lived in Australia before directing attacks on Sydney and Melbourne, spy chief says - Washington Times
ASIO chief reveals former Australian resident directed attack on Melbourne synagogue - The Conversation
Iranian agents lived in Australia before directing attacks on Sydney and Melbourne, spy chief says - Washington Post
Iranian Agents Lived in Australia Before Directing Attacks: Spy Chief - Breitbart