Bosnia Raises Security Alert Amid Middle East Conflict Concerns

Bosnia heightened security around weapons storage due to fears that Middle East and Ukraine conflicts could destabilize the Balkan nation. Defence Minister Zukan Helez announced increased measures to protect facilities and personnel. Despite recent bomb threats, Helez assured the public of security stability.

Bosnia said on Wednesday it had raised its security alert level for weapons and ammunition storage facilities over concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could affect the Balkan country's stability.

Sadly, we are seeing an escalation of war events in the Middle East and in Ukraine, with potential reflections on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Defence Minister Zukan Helez wrote in a Facebook post.

I have ordered increased security measures for command facilities, units, facilities and storage of weapons and ammunition...in order to protect the personnel, facilities and material assets. In his post, Helez said measures were preventative and the security situation in our country is stable and there is no information or indication that it will be disturbed.

On Wednesday, Bosnia's security agency, SIPA, searched several army premises after receiving information about bomb threats, local media reported. Helez told N1 TV that the raising of the security level has nothing to do with the threats. Bosnian web portal www.klix.ba reported that around 20 to 30 people, mainly Turkish and Syrian nationals, gathered on Tuesday in Sarajevo after hearing the news that Iran had attacked Israel.

They shouted Free Palestine, and later drove in cars waving Bosnian and Palestinian flags. Nearly 30 years after the U.S.-brokered peace deal ended the 1992-95 war, Bosnia remains deeply divided between its two regions - Republika Srpska with a majority Serb Christian Orthodox population, and the Bosniak-Croat Federation, which has a majority Muslim population.

(With inputs from agencies.)