Cyberattacks, Sabotage: Europe Under Threat From Iran

The cyberattack on supermarket refrigeration systems, which France has attributed to Iran, marks a new stage in Tehran’s asymmetric war against the United States, with Europe increasingly becoming a target.

Iran, which denies any involvement in the attack, is accused of stepping up hostile operations on European soil since Israel and the United States launched the war in February 2026.

Paris has also accused Iran of exploiting social discontent in France through an online disinformation campaign and of mistreating the deputy head of the French embassy in Tehran in early October.

Iranian women take part in military training for volunteers at the “Janfada” (“Sacrifice for the Homeland”) training camp, set up for women in Azadi Square in Tehran, on November 10, 2026. (AFP)

Over the past few days, “Iran has sent very clear signals to various countries, warning them that if there were another massive US and Israeli bombing campaign, there would be consequences in Europe,” a European security source told AFP.

A recent AI-generated propaganda video, circulated by groups close to Iran and titled “Europe in Flames,” shows simulated attacks on several military bases, including Fairford in the United Kingdom and Istres in France.

Watch the video:

[https://www.jfeed.com/news-world/tnxrl1?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

Several iconic cities, including Paris and London, are also shown with a missile flying overhead.

An English-language voice-over declares: “You are not our enemies […] we are not like those pedophile pigs […] but anyone who helps the United States hurt our women and children is an enemy.”

The extremist monitoring organization SITE reported that on November 8, the Persian-language online outlet Teyban had published a video targeting “Satan’s nests,” a reference to various US military installations, including some in Europe, notably at Ramstein and Büchel in Germany and Bezmer in Bulgaria.

Paris accuses Iran of “large-scale sabotage”

Meanwhile, France is preparing its response to Tehran. “We are ruling nothing out,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday. “We will take any measures, including those we will not disclose publicly, that we deem proportionate and necessary to deter further attacks and punish those responsible for this unacceptable aggression.”

“France’s cyberdefense doctrine gives the authorities a range of options for taking action, even if we do not reveal exactly what they entail,” he stressed on Franceinfo TV.

In early November, supermarkets in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden were also hit by a cyberattack, sending the temperatures in their refrigerators soaring. (AFP)

The cyberattack targeted refrigeration control systems at some 700 supermarket locations across France.

By causing temperatures to rise, the attack led to “significant losses of goods and, in at least 15 cases, fires,” according to the Cyber Crisis Coordination Center (C4).

“This is the first time we have seen a cyberattack aimed at sabotage on this scale. It is a major assault on the nation’s interests and the safety of the French people,” the foreign minister said.

Fairford incident: three Iranian agents indicted in the US

Iran has also been accused of plotting attacks on two air bases used by the United States in the United Kingdom and recruiting operatives to target American interests, including Bank of America in Paris in the spring, as well as Jewish targets, including synagogues attacked in Belgium and the Netherlands.

A US B-1 Lancer bomber at Britain's Fairford air base. (AFP)

On Tuesday, US judicial authorities announced charges against three “Iranian agents” suspected of involvement in an incident near a British air base used by the United States to launch strikes against Iran.

On September 27, police responded near Fairford air base in southwestern England after emergency services received reports of “three suspicious vehicles.”

Among the three people charged is Mohammed Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, who is already in US custody and whom Washington describes as a senior figure in the Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah), a pro-Tehran Iraqi armed group.

The other two suspects are Mohsen Mohajeri, an Iranian, and Mohammad Ali Al-Hassani, an Iraqi national. US authorities did not disclose their whereabouts.

The three men face an eight-count indictment that also implicates them in several other attacks or planned attacks on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the Hezbollah Brigades.

US aircraft withdrawn from a second British base

The United States has withdrawn military aircraft stationed at Mildenhall air base in eastern England following an Iranian threat, a month after withdrawing aircraft from Fairford.

A massive US Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy military transport aircraft at Prestwick air base in Scotland on November 10, 2026. (AFP)

Although authorities have not officially commented on these reports, published on Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, flight-tracking data analyzed by AFP shows that at least ten US aerial refueling aircraft and three multirole military aircraft have left Mildenhall since Monday morning.

Several have been redeployed to bases in Germany and Spain, as well as to a base in Scotland and Lakenheath in England.

Rubio rules out a major military operation

Despite these alarming reports, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday ruled out a major military operation against Iran, echoing Donald Trump's remarks welcoming “positive momentum” in negotiations aimed at ending more than eight months of war.

Speaking in Paris, where he was attending the G7 meeting, the US secretary of state said there was “no need, at present, for major combat operations,” given how “devastating” the economic pressure campaign against Iran had been.

The seven G7 foreign ministers, joined by EU and Ukrainian representatives, in the gilded surroundings of the Quai d'Orsay. (AFP)

But London warned against “an economically damaging status quo.” “We must break the ‘neither war nor peace’ deadlock that is causing serious economic hardship for our countries,” British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said on the sidelines of the G7 meeting, calling for “an all-out diplomatic effort.”

Paris also supports this approach, though it believes the risk of “escalation has not been entirely ruled out.”

Lebanon at the heart of G7 discussions

Lebanon also featured prominently in discussions at the G7 meeting in Paris, but there was no breakthrough on arrangements to replace the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), with less than two months remaining before its mission ends.

“I am hopeful that we can reach a consensus, because (...) the goal is widely shared: Israel’s withdrawal (from southern Lebanon), the disarmament of Hezbollah (which is pro-Iranian), and the restoration of a strong state with a monopoly on arms, capable of ensuring security and prosperity for all of Lebanon’s people and communities,” Jean-Noël Barrot said at a press conference on Tuesday following the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting.

His American counterpart, Marco Rubio, said the discussions should take place without Iran’s involvement.

“Iran has no role to play when it comes to Lebanon, other than to stop sponsoring and supporting Hezbollah,” he told reporters.

In his view, the solution must involve monitoring “pilot zones,” from which Israeli forces must withdraw to allow Lebanese forces to take control.

He suggested establishing a group of “trusted monitors” tasked with verifying that both sides are complying with the agreement.

On Monday evening, following a bilateral meeting with Emmanuel Macron, he said the group would “not necessarily need” to be military in nature, raising the possibility of “a civilian mission.”