NATO countries should not tolerate deliberate acts of hybrid warfare against Alliance countries, and the United States will support its allies in such incidents. This was stated by the US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker, quoted by Reuters.
Whitaker pointed out as particularly worrying the attempted drone attack on the German airport Leipzig/Halle in August, for which Berlin blamed Russia.
According to the American diplomat, this case should be distinguished from other incidents in recent years, in which Russian drones used for attacks on Ukraine have deviated from their course and entered the airspace of NATO countries.
"Then we have what I would call more worrying hybrid actions, such as what we saw in Leipzig and what we saw in Poland," Whitaker said on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy.
According to him, NATO countries must be prepared and vigilant and send a clear message when faced with such actions.
"If we can identify who is doing it - as Germany has done - we must make it clear that this is unacceptable and will not be tolerated," the US ambassador said.
Germany said earlier this week that it held Russia responsible for the attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle airport. According to German authorities, several drones approached the airport in August, and an investigation has found that the incident was a targeted operation, not an accidental drone incursion.
Berlin summoned the Russian ambassador over the incident and said it had evidence of Russian responsibility. Moscow has denied the allegations.
Leipzig/Halle is one of Europe's largest cargo airports and an important logistics hub. The incident has heightened concerns in Germany about the security of key transport and infrastructure sites amid a series of alleged cases of sabotage and espionage since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Whitaker warned that critical infrastructure, including energy facilities, could also be the target of such operations and should be closely monitored by national authorities.
The American diplomat stressed that the immediate response to such incidents is primarily the responsibility of the individual member state, and not automatically that of NATO as a whole.
However, he assured that Washington will stand behind its allies when they are faced with such actions.
The statement comes amid heightened concerns in Europe about the so-called hybrid operations - actions below the threshold of open armed conflict, which may include sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation, airspace violations and drone attacks or reconnaissance operations.
NATO has repeatedly warned that hybrid actions against a member state may, under certain circumstances, reach a level where the question of triggering Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for collective defense may arise. However, the decision to do so is made by the Allies according to the specific nature and scale of the attack.