Norway hikes threat level to ‘high’ over conflict
Norway’s intelligence agency says it has raised its “terror” threat level to “high”, fearing repercussions in the Scandinavian country from escalating tensions from Israel’s war on Gaza and its conflicts with Lebanon and Iran.
“We are raising the threat level from moderate to high in Norway due to several factors, primarily the current escalation in the Middle East,” Police Security Service spokesman Martin Bernsen told the AFP news agency.
“We have no information about any concrete or realistic plans aimed at carrying out terrorist acts on targets in Norway,” he stressed.
After the announcement, Norway’s police directorate ordered officers, normally unarmed on patrol, to carry their service weapons.
“In Norway, it’s the threat against Jewish and Israeli targets that has increased further,” Bernsen said. “There are several Jewish holidays in October, and some people could take advantage of that to stage an attack.”
In addition to armed patrols, the police said they planned to bolster preventive measures, including boosting their presence at sensitive sites or gatherings and increasing border controls and surveillance.
According to Norwegian authorities, Norway’s Jewish community has about 1,500 members, most of them in the Oslo area.
Israel’s embassies in Denmark and Sweden were targeted last week in separate attacks – in Stockholm with explosions in its vicinity and gunfire in Copenhagen.
Israeli ‘aggression’ against Lebanon ‘against international law’: Qatari official
Qatari Minister of State for International Cooperation Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater says her country stands firmly by Lebanon’s side as Israeli attacks escalate.
Al-Khater made her statement during a visit to the Beirut Governmental Hospital during a trip to Lebanon that included bringing emergency food and medical supplies as part of a joint Qatari-French humanitarian mission.
“There is unity in the Arab ranks and position towards this aggression. This aggression is against all international norms and laws, against international law and international humanitarian law, and against Security Council resolutions,” she said.
