'Rivers of blood with flow through the streets of Paris' - Terror threats increase leading up to Olympic Games

Israelis urge caution at Paris Olympics amid anti-Israel threats

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Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has advised Israeli nationals traveling to the Olympic Games in Paris to exercise increased caution due to escalating anti-Israel threats.

On Sunday, the NSC warned that it believes that global jihadist and Iran-backed terror organizations “are seeking to carry out attacks on Israeli/Jewish targets around the Olympics.”

“International events such as this represent a preferred target for threats and attacks from various terror groups, because of the potential for the wide media impact,” the NSC added, and noted that French authorities had already arrested several young Islamic State supporters who were reportedly planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Paris.

The Summer Olympic Games, held every four years, is the world’s largest sports event. The competition begins in Paris on Friday and end on Sept. 8.

The NSC has also urged Israeli travelers to avoid potential local anti-Israel demonstrations that have been held on a regular basis since the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7 . Despite the increasing threats, Israeli authorities still classify France as a Level 2 Potential Threat, indicating a need for "increased precautionary measures" but not an imminent threat.

However, Israel has reportedly doubled its security budget compared to the previous Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to protect the Israeli sports delegation in Paris this summer.

Earlier this week, a masked man with a Palestinian Authority flag on his shirt threatened the Olympic Games, saying, "Rivers of blood will flow through the streets of Paris."

"In the name of God, our struggle against the Zionist regime continues," the man stated in the video, which was uploaded on social media. He also accused France and French president Emmanuel Macron of supporting Israel in its war against the Hamas terrorist organization.

"You supported the Zionist regime in its criminal war against the people of Palestine. You provided Zionists with weapons; you helped murder our brothers and sisters, our children."

🚨 Hamas threatens Olympics, promises “rivers of blood” in the streets of Paris.
They are a threat not just to Israel, but to the entire Western world. pic.twitter.com/ihOUzO3yzi
— Michael Freund (@msfreund) July 23, 2024

Despite the threats, the Israeli delegation traveled to Paris on Monday with their heads held high and the support of the entire nation.

“We feel like emissaries of the State of Israel – our athletes, every one of them are here to achieve their dreams, but there is another layer, of a national mission,” the President of the Olympic Committee of Israel Yael Arad stated ahead of the flight to France.

The Palestinian Authority’s Olympic Committee and left-wing French lawmakers have called for a boycott of Israel at the Olympics, however, Macron firmly rejected the notion and welcomed the Israeli 88-member delegation to France on Tuesday.

“Israeli athletes are welcome in our country. They must be able to compete under their colors because the Olympic movement has decided it,” Macron said in an interview with France 2 television. “France’s responsibility to provide them with security,” adding: “I condemn in the strongest possible way all those who create risks for these athletes and implicitly threaten them,”

The Iranian Foreign Ministry blasted France for welcoming and protecting Israeli athletes.

“Announcing the reception and protection of the apartheid terrorist Zionist regime’s delegation means giving legitimacy to the child killers,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry wrote on 𝕏. “They do not deserve to be present at the Paris Olympics because of the war against the innocent people of Gaza.”

France has reportedly deployed some 45,000 security forces and 10,000 soldiers to secure this year’s Olympic Games. Large parts of central Paris have been closed to the public ahead of the traditional opening ceremony.

Macron noted that security challenges are always present for nations hosting such a large international event.

“There is a security challenge and it’s true for all capitals which organize the Games,” the French president said. “It’s true for the opening ceremony. It will be true for the whole of the Games.”