Russian Airport Stormed by Anti-Semitic Mob Looking for Passengers on Flight From Israel

An airplane of the Russian airline Red Wings prepares to land at Barcelona, Spain's airport on June 6, 2016. (Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)

A mob of rioters in the Russian Republic of Dagestan have reportedly stormed the international airport in the capital of Makhachkala and flooded out on the runway, seeking recent arrivals on a Red Wings Airlines flight from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Videos posted on social media show hundreds of people, some carrying Palestinian flags or placards denouncing Israel, storming the airport and harassing passengers.

The Interior Ministry office in Makhachkala said riot police were sent to the airport after “the disturbances,” as Russian National Guard units were sent to reinforce security, according to the Baza Telegram channel.

Dagestan’s Ministry of Health later revealed that more than 20 people were injured, two critically. However, it gave no other details. It has yet to be confirmed if any Israelis were actually on the flight or if the passengers were locals returning home from Israel.

Pro-Palestinian protesters storm an airport building in Makhachkala, Russia, on Oct. 29, 2023, in this screenshot taken from video footage obtained by Reuters. (Video obtained by Reuters/via Reuters)

Russia’s civilian aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, stated that the Makhachkala International Airport would remain closed to incoming aircraft until at least Nov. 6.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a joint Oct. 29 statement with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemning the attack.

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According to the statement, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Security Council are monitoring the situation. Israel’s ambassador to Russia, Alex Ben Zvi, is also working with Russian authorities to secure the well-being of Jews and Israelis at the site.

“Israel expects the Russian legal authorities to safeguard the well-being of all Israeli citizens and Jews wherever they are and to take strong action against the rioters and against the wild incitement being directed against Jews and Israelis,” the statement reads.

Dagestan Leaders Call for Patience and Calm

Authorities and officials in Dagestan have condemned the violence, called for calm, and promised to punish those who were involved in the incident. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan has revealed that authorities will be using CCTV footage to search for the rioters responsible.

Head of the Republic of Dagestan Sergey Melikov promised harsh consequences for anyone who took part in the storming of the airport. He also blamed the violence on external factors, claiming that fake news had been spread, riling up the local people.

“The actions of those who gathered at the Makhachkala airport today are a gross violation of the law!” Mr. Melikov said in a Telegram post.

“What happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive an appropriate assessment from law enforcement agencies! And this will definitely be done!”

The regional Dagestani government appealed to citizens to remain calm, urging them in a Telegram post to “treat the current situation in the world with understanding” and not “succumb to the provocations of destructive groups.”

The majority of Dagestanis are Sunni Muslims.

The supreme mufti of Dagestan—one of the spiritual leaders of Dagestani Muslims—Sheikh Akhmad Afandi, also called on residents to stop the violence at the airport and asked for patience as world leaders search for a solution to the Israel–Hamas conflict.

“We understand and perceive your indignation very painfully,” he said. “We will solve this issue differently. Not with rallies, but appropriately. Maximum patience and calm for you.”

Anti-Semitic Attacks in Dagestan

Nearly a year ago, exiled Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt was urging Jews to leave Russia “while they can.” After the latest acts of violence, he took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to report that the incident at the airport wasn’t the only assault happening on Jewish people in the Dagestan Republic.

According to Mr. Goldschmidt, across four different cities in Dagestan, there are mobs “demanding to kill the Jews.” He says the growing unrest is a result of actions by the Russian government; specifically, its lack of condemnation for the Hamas Oct. 7 attack in Israel. He also pointed to the recent Hamas delegation visit to Moscow as a potential cause for the recent violence.

Family and friends of Nadav Goldstien and his daughter Yam Goldstien mourn at their funeral after they were murdered and the rest of the family were kidnaped during Hamas's attack on the Kfar Aza kibbutz in Shfaiem, Israel, on Oct. 23, 2023. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)

Israel’s Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem called Russia’s ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, to discuss Moscow’s hosting of the Hamas delegation on Oct. 26. Inviting Hamas “sends a message legitimizing terrorism against Israelis,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to Russian media, Moscow stated that the meeting with Hamas officials was an effort to maintain contact with all sides in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The delegation was reportedly led by the head of the organization’s political bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouq.

“European Rabbi’s call upon President Putin to protect Russia’s Jewish community. We hope that he will give unequivocal instruction to local authorities not to allow pogroms against the Jews,” Mr. Goldschmidt wrote on X.

Historically, a pogrom refers to violent attacks by local non-Jewish populations on Jews in the former Russian Empire and other countries.

Unrest Around the World

Protests in support of Israel or Hamas have been taking place around the globe since Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which claimed the lives of at least 1,400 people in Israel and sparked the current round of conflicts. According to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, the resulting strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces have resulted in at least 8,000 deaths.

Palestinians look for survivors after an Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip in Rafah on Oct. 23, 2023. (Hatem Ali/AP Photo)

The ongoing war has seen tensions run high in the civilian populations of many different countries.

Three arrests were made after an assault on an emergency worker at a demonstration near the Israeli Embassy in London on Oct. 10. In the United States, weapons were drawn at a protest in Oregon on Oct. 21, forcing local police to intervene and de-escalate the situation. A protest in Australia saw hundreds occupy an area near the iconic landmark the Opera House while chanting anti-Semitic remarks and burning the Israel flag.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.