What are Iran and Russia's mounting hybrid attacks on Europe?

The head of Britain's top domestic spy agency, MI5, has warned that the nation is experiencing a new era of national security threats. Sir Ken McCallum explained that the attackers are not targeting government-owned or controlled assets, but rather individuals, businesses, and communities. He emphasized that Russia remains the top aggressor, while Iran's ambitions have shifted towards more challenging targets.

Both countries have adopted hybrid tactics to carry out these attacks, which include targeting air force bases, synagogues, and other locations across the UK and Europe.

In the past year alone, there have been numerous incidents that fit this description. Iran has been using criminal proxies to intimidate oppositionists, media organizations, and Israeli sites. They have also been expanding their hybrid campaign, leading to over 50 arrests in the UK. Many of these attacks have been aimed at British Jewish communities, with a wave of arson and sabotage incidents targeting these communities and other European nations.

Iran-linked attacks include explosions at synagogues in Liège, Belgium, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands, as well as attacks on a Jewish school in Amsterdam and ambulances in Golders Green, London.

Russia, on the other hand, remains the biggest threat to security. The Russian military and intelligence services have been escalating their attempts at hybrid warfare, while being careful not to cross the NATO Article 5 threshold, which would trigger the alliance's collective defense principle. Recent incidents linked to Russia include an alleged plot targeting a Jewish community in Manchester, a Russian-Su-30 fighter allegedly violating Estonian airspace, and a suspected plot involving a British base used by U.S. bombers to strike Iran.