A brutal attack on Argentina's chief rabbi has alarmed authorities both in the South American nation and in Israel, who raised concerns it could be a case of anti-Semitism.

Several assailants entered the Buenos Aires home of Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich on Monday and beat him, identifying him as the chief rabbi of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, one of the country's most prominent Jewish groups.

Davidovich was in a hospital Tuesday with broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri expressed support for Davidovich in a tweet. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying: "We must not let anti-Semitism rear its head."

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin phoned Davidovich and expressed concern "about the safety of the large Jewish community you lead."