A synagogue was set on fire and gangs rampaged through schools in Tunis over the night, while the street protests were calming down after a reshuffle purged the interim government of most Ben Ali loyalists and appeased public opinion.

But sporadic acts of intimidation and sabotage have broken out after weeks of protests forced Ben Ali to flee the country on January 14, ending 23 years of strict police rule, the Reuters reported.

In the southern city of Gabes attackers set the fire in a local synagogue, and the spokesman for Tunisia’s Jewish community, Peres Trabelsi, said he did not know who was behind the attack.

"I condemn this action and I believe those who did it want to create divisions between Jews and Muslims in Tunisia who have lived for decades in peace," Trabelsi said.