Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Ferit Hoxha expressed Albania’s full solidarity with France following devastating cyberattacks on an unprecedented scale. He said an offensive cyber unit linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had carried out the attacks.

Hoxha stressed that Albania understands the threat firsthand, as Iranian state actors also targeted the country in 2022.

“Albania knows very well, from its own experience, what France is facing today. In 2022, Iranian state actors launched brutal and destructive cyber operations against our country,” he wrote.

The minister warned that governments must not normalise or tolerate state-sponsored cyberattacks or allow perpetrators to use them as instruments of intimidation without facing consequences.

He stressed that attacks on critical infrastructure threaten the functioning and security of society, whether perpetrators use explosives or malicious code.

Hoxha called on European countries to stand together, strengthen their collective resilience and hold those responsible for such attacks accountable.

“Europe must stand united, strengthen its collective resilience and ensure that those responsible for such acts are held accountable,” he added.