The US government has issued security guidance for faith-based communities as the country faces a terrorism threat level so elevated it prompted the FBI director to say he sees “blinking lights everywhere”, Reuters reports.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommendations are designed to protect against threats amid heightened antisemitism and Islamophobia since the Oct 7 Hamas attack and subsequent Israeli military retaliation in Gaza.

The move comes as the US is recording soaring levels of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia since the conflict began, with the Justice Department saying it was monitoring rising threats against Jews and Muslims.

The DHS guidelines describe practical steps faith-based groups can take to be alert to the threat environment and to respond with cost-effective protective measures.