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Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Israel's Iran strike could be 'blueprint' for how a WW3 could be fought
Israel's attack on Iran is a "blueprint" for how World War Three would unfold, according to Anthony Glees, an academic in security and defence and a lecturer at the University of Buckingham Tactics used by Israel in a large-scale military operation against Iran could be indicative of how World War Three would be fought, according to an expert. Israel launched a bitter attack against Iran on Friday morning, raining down missiles on the capital of Tehran in an attempt to cripple its nuclear infrastructure. Israeli military spokesman Brig Gen Effie Deffrin said that 200 Israeli fighter jets participated in the operation overnight, striking some 100 targets, while the Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched around 100 drones towards Israel. Professor Anthony Glees, an academic in security and defence and a lecturer at the University of Buckingham, said the attack is"a blueprint" for how WW3 would play out. Speaking to the Mirror, he explained that there are two ways Europe could be dragged into a worldwide conflict, should things escalate. "First, that Iran hits back hard, is supported by its admittedly weakened proxies, Hezbollah, the Houthis and what's left of Hamas, as well as its chums in the region and beyond," Professor Glees said. "We recall that Putin is firing Shahed drones at Ukraine and secondly that our enemies and adversaries, Putin, Kim Jong-Un and Xi see a weakened USA under Trump, and deduced, as Netanyahu has done, that now is the time to pursue their own bugbears in Ukraine, South Korea and Taiwan. "Naturally we hope this won't happen. But if it does, I think what Israel has been doing since about 3am give us a blueprint for what could happen to us here in Europe." There's "no doubt" our primary enemy would be Putin's Russia, and their first stage of attack would be an "overwhelming" cyber attack, according to the professor. "It will not only knock out our digital communications networks. We hope the government networks which are far more secure will be resilient enough to withstand such an attack, but who knows. "We know that the Israelis sent alarms to every single mobile phone user in Israel, warning them about the attack at 3am, including those who had switched off their phones, or put them on silent mode." "I've no doubt the Israelis took down the Iranian digital networks a few second afterwards," Professor Glees added. Once all digital communications have been destroyed, normal life in the UK would grind to a rapid halt and there will be panic. "Next, we here will likely see a massive drone attack taking out our top military brass, the heads of MI6, MI5 and GCHQ and possibly even their buildings, now so very readily identifiable from all the TV shows," Anthony said. "MI6 currently flying the Pride flag would make it a doubly attractive target to Putin who thinks we're all sexually confused and obsessed." Anthony also noted that the Israelis, in their first wave of attacks, targeted and killed leading Iranian General Staff Officers, intelligence chiefs and political advisors, and warned that political staff such as Morgan McSweeney could be under attack should conflict ensue. Meanwhile, it'd be "much easier" for attackers to strike our nuclear weapons sites here, he added, due to their blatant visibility. "We talk about them all the time and they're listed on every map platform, Google or Apple Maps, but if our enemies prefer hard copy, all official Ordnance Maps give precise locations of our sensitive sites." Professor Glees, a renowned international defence and security expert, said that things would then go quiet. "Putin, in particular, would wait," he explained. "Without the ability to communicate, our Government would find it very hard to tell us what to do, and we would be forced to do nothing. Without food the UK could collapse in a week, like every other European democracy. "Putin will look to see if there are political leaders who pop up to urge capitulation, in which case communications will be restored and the attack will be over, with Russia having won and few shots fired. "If this doesn't work, then we should expect a sustained attack by air and by sea with conventional forces, an air force, non-nuclear weapons, commandos on the ground, backed up by more conventional forces behind Russian lines." Professor Glees concluded by pointing out the lesson the United Kingdom can learn from Israel's Operation Rising Lion. "A pre-emptive strike may become the best option in the days before any attack is predicted. "What would happen here is that MI6 and GCHQ, still with US intelligence support, would tell us we were about to be attacked by Putin. Our PM (and I think Starmer would be up for this) would order a pre-emptive hit on Moscow. We'd do to them exactly what they were hoping to do to us. And we'd end up secure for the next decade."
Metro
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Metro
MP's 'starter kit' containing laptop went missing from Commons' cloakroom
Parliamentary-supplied IT equipment being used by MPs, Lords and their staff went missing at places including train stations and pubs over the last year (Picture: Getty) Police were called after a new MP's laptop and iPad went missing from a cloakroom at the House of Commons, newly released information shows. The devices have not been recovered since they went missing in suspicious circumstances along with a kit bag on July 7 last year, according to an incident report obtained by Metro. The loss was among almost 70 incidents of parliamentary-supplied IT equipment for MPs and staff being lost or stolen over the course of 2024. Some of the incidents took place in public places such as pubs and trains while others occurred on the parliamentary estate itself. The disclosure comes at a time of heightened concern about Russian and Chinese espionage on UK soil and the targeting of parliament in particular. At the weekend, it emerged that park benches and pubs in Westminster have apparently been identified as targets by Beijing. Politicians and parliamentary researchers have reportedly been warned by security sources that seemingly harmless places to sit could be bugged, so they should be careful of what they chat about. Access to physical devices can provide a window of opportunity to hackers according to cybersecurity experts (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto) While there is no information given about any suspects or follow-up investigation relating to the 'new MP's starter kit' the loss of such hardware has been identified as a serious concern by security experts. The hardware is ambiguously marked as 'lost/stolen' in the log released by the Commons after a Freedom of Information Act request. Professor Anthony Glees, a security and intelligence expert at the University of Buckingham, said: 'One thing's for sure, MI5 will be hopping mad at this insult to national security. 'Their owners can be blackmailed but if our enemies and adversaries, such as the Russians and Chinese, get hold of the devices we are all endangered. What makes it worse is that we're dealing with lawmakers, likely privy to the secrets of government. 'Everyone with half a brain knows that we are now in a pre-war situation and it's time our lawmakers behaved accordingly.' Cyber attackers are operating in a global battlefield with the lines between civilian and military actors increasingly being blurred (Picture: Getty) The cloakroom is next to the members' entrance in New Palace Yard, with MPs allocated their own peg and an attendant normally available during the working day, according to the Members' Handbook. The MP informed parliamentary security, the IT service desk and the police, the incident log shows. The entry reads: '[REDACTED] MP contacted [REDACTED] Digital Support Desk to report that [REDACTED] new MP starter kit had been taken from [REDACTED] House of Common Members Cloakroom.' The full list of missing digital devices includes IT kit stolen from locations including pubs and trains. Hardware such as iPads, phones and laptops also went missing or was snatched from homes, other forms of transport, including at an airport, and on the parliamentary estate. The House of Commons has refused to release the names of MPs and Lords whose devices have been lost or stolen (Picture: Reuters) In several instances, thieves stole devices likely containing, or providing access to, sensitive information used for parliamentary business. In one incident, a laptop went missing from a bag supposedly being looked after by a friend of an MP's staffer as they dined in a restaurant. The person was advised by the House of Commons' service desk to contact the police after the incident on February 20. Devices supplied by parliament to passholders are encrypted, according to the Commons' Information Compliance Team. A UK parliament spokesperson said: 'We provide advice to users – including members of both Houses – to make them aware of the risks and how to manage their equipment safety. 'However, we do not comment on specific details of our cyber or physical security controls, policies or incidents.' Do you have a story you would like to share? Contact Arrow MORE: MPs and Lords lose 'sensitive' parliamentary iPads on airplanes, in taxis and on train Arrow MORE: Laptops and iPhones used by MPs lost in airports, pubs and stolen on the Tube Arrow MORE: Dozens of parliament IT devices used by MPs and Lords go missing
