ANTWERP, BELGIUM (VINnews) — A 16-year-old Jewish teenager was assaulted Friday while returning from yeshiva on a central street in Antwerp, in what community leaders described as part of a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks across the city.

Members of the volunteer Jewish security group Shomrim detained the attacker and turned him over to police for questioning. Authorities confirmed the suspect is known to them.

The incident occurred amid an alarming surge in antisemitic violence in Belgium. Shomrim reported at least eight assaults against Jews in Antwerp in recent weeks, four of them targeting children.

Community officials linked the heightened threats to the outbreak of U.S.-Israeli operations against the Iranian regime, which has fueled increased antisemitic incidents globally.

The attack follows an explosion outside a synagogue in Liège last week, which damaged the building but caused no injuries. Liège Mayor Willy Demeyer described the blast as “criminal and antisemitic,” while Belgian officials condemned it as a targeted antisemitic act and launched a counterterrorism investigation.

In response to the wave of incidents, Jewish security patrols have been intensified in Antwerp’s ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. Community leaders urged authorities to bolster protection, warning that further escalation could lead to tragedy.

The Antwerp Jewish community, one of Europe’s largest Orthodox populations, has long faced sporadic antisemitic violence, but recent events have prompted calls for stronger safeguards.