"Suspicious drones" raise security concerns in Belgium.

Arab Sea Newspaper - Follow-ups

Belgium is on high security alert after unidentified drones were spotted flying near sensitive sites, including military bases, airports, and a nuclear power plant, raising concerns about possible espionage attempts or foreign interference. According to Agence France-Presse, Belgian authorities are investigating 17 incidents involving the sighting of drones of varying sizes in different parts of the country, some of which are suspected of being linked to attempts to destabilize or gather intelligence. Reports have increased since the beginning of October, when the first drone was spotted over the Elsenborn military camp, before the incidents recurred intensively in early November, disrupting air traffic at Brussels-Zaventem Airport and canceling dozens of flights. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office pointed to the difficulty of distinguishing between aircraft operated by local individuals who violate the laws and those that may be operated by foreign entities. The Belgian government considered the matter to be "a coordinated act by a state," without making a formal accusation, although suspicions point to Russia. Observers believe that the suspicious movements of the drones come in the context of what Europe describes as the "hybrid war" waged by Moscow since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022, which includes acts of sabotage, cyberattacks, and the implementation of indirect operations that can be denied. Experts believe that Belgium has become a potential target because it hosts the institutions of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as well as holding a large part of the frozen Russian assets in the Euroclear financial institution in Brussels. In this context, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius linked the drone flights to the controversy surrounding the use of those assets, considering it a "warning message" from Moscow. Belgium has taken a series of measures to strengthen its defense capabilities, including obtaining logistical support from the armies of Germany, France, and Britain, and approving an emergency budget of 50 million euros to modernize air defense systems, as part of a comprehensive plan worth half a billion euros to combat drones. In parallel, the European Union is working to establish a network to monitor and intercept drones, but the implementation of the project will take several years, with priority given to the eastern countries bordering Russia.