SYDNEY, May 25 (Reuters) - Anti-Semitism in Australia has been left unchecked since Israel's war in Gaza in October 2013, fueling violence against Jews, the head of Australian security intelligence, Mike Burgess, said on Monday.

These remarks came during public hearings in the wide-ranging inquiry known as the Royal Commission, which is focusing on the events leading up to the Bundi attack last December, which killed 15 people who were participating in a Hanukkah celebration.

Burgess said the sharp rise in incidents linked to anti-Semitism contributed to the agency's decision to raise the national terrorist threat level to "likely" in August 2024.

Burgess stated, "There is no doubt that the war in the Middle East has stirred up a range of emotions in Australia."

He added, "Consequently, some of those violent aspects... and those behaviors, including anti-Semitism which, in our view, has been left unchecked, have become normalized and have created more room for violence... and Australian Jews have been the target."

He said that anti-Semitism has also escalated since late 2024 from "threatening and intimidating behavior to direct targeting of people, businesses and places of worship."

These incidents included acts of vandalism and arson targeting homes, schools, temples, and vehicles in the months leading up to the Bundai attack.

Burgess said the agency concluded that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard was behind two anti-Semitic attacks on a kosher restaurant (serving halal food for Jews) in Sydney and the Adas Israel synagogue in Melbourne.

This conclusion led to the expulsion of the Iranian ambassador in August.

He explained that Iran may be involved in more attacks, but the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) "cannot prove that" in its assessments aimed at identifying who is responsible.

He added, "They use a network of agents and operatives to achieve their goals, which are to harm Jews wherever they are in the world."

The committee's first sessions this month focused on the nature and extent of anti-Semitism, and heard testimonies from Jews.