Swiss security situation worsens amid multiple threats, says intelligence chief

Switzerland's security situation is worsening amid multiple threats, the country's intelligence chief said on Thursday.

"The international order is undergoing profound upheaval, with crises and conflicts multiplying around Europe," said Serge Bavaud, director of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service, according to the state-run Swissinfo news agency.

"Switzerland's protective environment is eroding – from the east, west and south," Bavaud added.

According to him, the "Russian threat" is the most significant challenge facing Switzerland. Moscow, Bavaud claimed, was seeking to weaken Western democracies through hybrid warfare while maintaining dozens of suspected intelligence officers in the country, often under diplomatic cover.

He also argued that the war in Iran has increased the possibility of acts of violence against Jewish or American targets in Switzerland.