Israel's Olympic team is already receiving extended police protection around the clock.
But when the country's football team is set to play its premiere match against Mali at Parc des Princes in Paris on Wednesday, there will be 1,000 police officers at the arena to ensure that nothing unexpected happens.
One of the reasons for the increased security is that the match is one of two (Ukraine-Iraq being the other) classified as high-risk matches. Furthermore, France's Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, confirms that large protests are expected to take place outside the arena.
"Tonight at Parc des Princes, there will be 1,000 police officers on site to ensure that we are only there for sports and nothing else", says Darmanin.
Israel's Olympic participation has sparked strong emotions, due to the conflict with Palestine. Among other things, Iran's Foreign Minister has expressed great anger over the country's participation.
The match is played at 21.00 tonight. The Olympics officially begin on Friday, July 26.
