
Officials in the US denounced Sunday’s incident in the Dagestan region of Russia, where Muslim rioters arrived at the international airport in Makhachkala in order to harm Jewish Israelis.
US National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said that the United States “vigorously condemns the antisemitic protests.”
She added that the US "unequivocally stands with the entire Jewish community as we witness a worldwide surge in antisemitism."
Deborah Lipstadt, the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, denounced the incident as well.
“We condemn the violent protests that have been reported in Russia threatening Israelis and Jews. We call on Russian authorities to ensure their safety,” she wrote in a post on X.
“The US stands with Israel and the entire Jewish community as we see a surge in antisemitism throughout the world. There is no excuse for targeting Jews or engaging in antisemitic incitement anywhere,” added Lipstadt.
The incident occurred as crowds waited for an Israeli flight that was supposed to arrive and checked vehicles leaving the airport to try and find Israeli or Jewish passengers.
Footage from the scene shows crowds chanting "Allahu Akbar," and according to reports, they also chanted antisemitic chants.
The flight, which took off from Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel and was scheduled to land in Makhachkala, was rerouted and landed at a different airport.
According to local reports, the rioters also began to search for Israelis and Jews near the airport as well.
Shortly after midnight, it was announced that the incident ended without Israeli casualties.