French intel chief warns of potential attacks on strategic industries

France is assessing the possibility of attacks against its strategic companies and critical infrastructure following what authorities believe was an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany earlier this month, the head of France’s domestic intelligence service said on Wednesday, August 26.

On August 4, an explosives-laden drone was discovered near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft used to transport military supplies at Leipzig/Halle, a major cargo and logistics hub serving NATO and Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines.

“The discovery in Leipzig of an explosive drone that was by all appearances aimed at an aircraft supporting the Ukrainian army is a signal that we must consider the possibility of more direct, more violent actions on our territory,” Celine Berthon, director of France’s DGSI domestic intelligence agency, said.

Berthon said the immediate risk concerned France’s defence and technology industries, but warned that all strategic sectors, including energy and communications, could potentially be targeted.

She did not identify those suspected of being behind the incident. However, speaking at a business forum, she described a “meteoric” increase in hybrid threats since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including cyber intrusions and acts of violence carried out by local proxies.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that Berlin would soon announce who it believed was responsible for the attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle airport. Moscow has denied any involvement.

In a rare public intervention, Berthon echoed Germany’s interior minister in warning that both countries face daily “hybrid warfare” attacks.

Speaking at the annual forum organized by France’s powerful business lobby Medef, Berthon said such activity regularly involved attempts to interfere with economic, scientific and institutional targets. She also warned that such operations could be used to disrupt the functioning of elections.

France is due to hold a presidential election next year.

Security concerns have dominated the informal end-of-summer gathering of France’s business elite, as companies consider how to protect critical interests and adapt to what President Emmanuel Macron has described as a “war economy.”

France’s military leadership has also warned of gaps in the country’s ability to produce and defend against large numbers of inexpensive drones.

General Fabien Mandon, head of France’s armed forces, said France was falling behind potential adversaries in developing low-cost drones and the systems needed to counter saturation attacks.

“Dronisation is a reality ... Every night 800 to 1,000 drones leave Ukraine for Russia. The Russians have roughly equivalent production,” Mandon said.

“We have a model for defence that performs extremely well against what we knew ... Now we have enemies that have developed cheap solutions in large quantities,” he said, adding: “We are not there.”

Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier said France’s defence industry was prepared to meet the challenge of rearming.

By Tamilla Hasanova