FBI Director: Hamas attack will inspire the greatest terrorist threat to the United States since ISIS

(Patria) - The Hamas attack on Israel will fuel the greatest terrorist threat to the United States since the rise of ISIS nearly a decade ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray said at a hearing in Congress on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Wray said that since the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza earlier this month, multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks on Americans and the West, increasing the threat posed by domestic U.S. violent extremists.

„The actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration the likes of which we have not seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago,“ Wray said.

The remarks came during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that focused on threats to the United States. The U.S. government has recorded an increase in threats against Jews, Muslims, and Arab Americans since the fighting in Gaza broke out, officials said.

The number of attacks on U.S. military bases abroad by Iran-backed militia groups has increased this month, Wray said. Cyber attacks by Iran and non-state actors against the United States will likely worsen if the conflict expands, he said.

During the hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that hatred directed at Jewish students in the United States following the start of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza has contributed to a rise in antisemitism.

The White House this week expressed concern over reports of anti-Jewish incidents at U.S. universities as tensions have prompted university officials to tighten security.