French police have arrested a man suspected of trying to set a synagogue ablaze in the southern French city of la Grande-Motte on Saturday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.

About 200 police officers had been hunting for the suspect, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said earlier, adding that the attacker had set fire to several entry doors to the synagogue and several cars nearby.

BFM TV said the suspect was a 33-year-old Algerian. Local police declined to give details.

The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office, which was put in charge of the investigation, said early on Sunday that a suspect had been arrested in Nîmes on Saturday evening.

“Before the police could intervene, (the suspect) opened fire on the (police), which returned fire. The man was wounded in the face,” the office said in a statement, adding that two other people were taken into custody.

A policeman was slightly injured when a gas bottle exploded as police secured the site of the attack on Saturday morning, Attal said.

“This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted,” Attal said on X. “In the face of antisemitism, in the face of violence, we will never allow ourselves to be intimidated.”

After visiting the synagogue, Attal said an “absolute tragedy” had been narrowly averted after firefighters and police arrived quickly at the scene.

Local media reported earlier that the suspect had set fire to two cars, one of which contained at least one gas bottle, in the synagogue’s parking area at about 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT).

Police protection of synagogues, and Jewish schools and shops would be stepped up across France, the government said.

France, like other countries in Europe, has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel’s retaliatory action in Gaza.

Le Parisien, franceinfo and other media said the suspect had been seen on CCTV shortly before the attack with a Palestinian flag tied round his waist.

“Exploding a gas bottle in a car in front of the Grande Motte synagogue at the expected time of arrival of the faithful: it’s not just attacking a place of worship, it’s an attempt to kill Jews,” Yonathan Arfi, who leads the CRIF, an umbrella organization of French Jewish groups, said on X.

La Grande-Motte is a port and resort city on the French Mediterranean coast.

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday that efforts to mend ties with Turkey had so far brought no tangible results.

“The initiatives did not yield any results worth mentioning despite the seriousness and genuine keenness of mediators,” Assad said in a speech to the Syrian parliament, referring to conciliation efforts by Russia, Iran and Iraq.

Turkey severed ties with Syria in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, in which it supported rebels seeking to oust Assad. Assad views the rebels as terrorists.

“The solution is openness,” Assad said. “Restoring a relationship requires first removing the causes that led to its destruction.”

The Syrian president made clear that while he wants Turkish troops to withdraw from Syria, that was not a precondition for talks.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said earlier in July he would extend an invitation to Assad “any time” for possible talks to restore relations.

A Turkish newspaper earlier reported Erdogan and Assad could meet in August, but a Turkish diplomat denied the report.

Russia has been trying to facilitate a meeting between the two leaders in an effort to restore ties. Iraq also said in July that it may seek to try to bring the two leaders together.

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JNS.org – The main target of Hezbollah’s Sunday morning attack was likely the Glilot base near Herzliya, the site of Mossad headquarters and various military intelligence units, according to preliminary Israeli assessments.

The New York Times reported, citing Western intelligence sources, that the IDF’s pre-emptive strike neutralized long-range rocket launchers that were set to target central Israel.

Hezbollah: The initial phase of retaliation targeted Israeli military bases and barracks for the assassination of Sayyed Fouad Shukr and civilian deaths in southern Beirut. #Lebanon pic.twitter.com/XJbnl3Vqug

— Mohamad Al Shami محمد الشامي (@mamashami) August 25, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes on Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon thwarted an imminent attack by the Iranian proxy.

“This morning we identified Hezbollah preparations to attack Israel. In consensus with the defense minister and the IDF chief of staff, we directed the IDF to initiate action to eliminate the threat,” said Netanyahu at the start of a Security Cabinet meeting.

Approximately 100 Israeli Air Force fighter jets, directed by IDF intelligence, destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rockets in Southern Lebanon, according to the military.

Hezbollah subsequently launched more than 200 projectiles into Israel.

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