NATO is increasing the readiness of its defense systems due to the Iranian missile attack on Turkey, said this evening a spokesman for the military headquarters in the Belgian city of Mons, Martin L. O'Donnell, quoted by DPA and BTA.
The spokesman said that the measure was ordered by the commander of NATO Air Command. It is recommended that readiness be maintained at an elevated level until the threat of Iran's continued indiscriminate attacks in the region subsides. The Supreme Allied Commander Europe “endorsed this recommendation”, the spokesman added.
A meeting with member state representatives showed strong and unanimous support for the measure.
O'Donnell said the defensive readiness had already been demonstrated on Wednesday when NATO had perfectly executed its ballistic missile defence procedures. He said in less than 10 minutes NATO soldiers had identified the ballistic missile, confirmed its trajectory and alerted land and sea-based missile defence systems to the successful interception.
According to the European police agency Europol, the conflict in the Middle East would have “immediate consequences” for the security of the European Union with “an increased threat from terrorism, serious and organized crime, as well as violent extremism and cyberattacks“, Reuters reported, quoted by BNR.
Europol spokesman Jan Op Gen Oort said he expected more cyberattacks against European infrastructure and an increase in online fraud using increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence and exploiting the flow of information on the internet about the conflict.
Groups linked to Iran could attempt “destabilizing activities“ within the EU, he added, referring to groups linked to the so-called Axis of Resistance - a network of anti-American and Israeli Shiite militias in the Middle East. According to him, these “could include terrorist attacks, intimidation campaigns, terrorist financing and cybercrime“.
“The level of terrorist threat and violent extremism in the EU is considered high“, he said, adding that the terrorist threat could be exacerbated by individuals acting alone or by small groups acting on their own initiative.
“The rapid spread of polarizing content on the internet could accelerate short-term processes of radicalization among diaspora communities in the EU“, he said.
The current turmoil in the Middle East is a direct result of the erosion of international law, said the head of European diplomacy Kaia Kalas, quoted by Reuters and BNR.
In a speech to the University of Zurich, Kalas said that the international order had been undermined by unilateral actions by great powers, targeting Russia in particular, but also criticizing China and the United States.
According to the EU's high representative for foreign policy and security, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has encouraged other countries to act with impunity.
China is also taking advantage of the weakening of international rules to expand its influence in the Asia-Pacific region and put pressure on European economies, Kallas said.
"Without restoring international law and accountability, we are doomed to see repeated violations of the law, disruptions and chaos," she said.
Regarding the United States, Kallas said that Washington's shift in foreign policy has "shaken the transatlantic relationship to its foundations", with subsequent upheaval in other parts of the world and the international order.
"The current direction is towards a new world order characterized by competition and coercion. A world order dominated by a handful of military powers seeking to establish and secure spheres of influence," added Kallas.
According to her, Iran is seeking to escalate the conflict in the Middle East by indiscriminately attacking other countries in the region.