"On Saturday afternoon, I convened a meeting of the Defence Council, because developments in Iran may have an indirect impact on Hungary's security situation, with particular regard to our energy security," Orban said in the video.

"Hungarian soldiers are serving in the Middle East. They have not been affected by military strikes and they are safe," he said.

"We must also take into account the rising risk of terrorist attacks across Europe...especially in countries with large migrant populations," he said. "Hungary is in a much better position, but even so, we are raising the counterterrorism alert level by one step."

Orban said that due to the conflict, significant energy price increases were expected on global markets.

"In this situation, it is crucial that we break [Ukrainian] President Zelensky's oil blockade against Hungary." Hungary will therefore keep in place the countermeasures introduced against Ukraine in the coming weeks, he added.

Iran Conflict - Terjek: Terror threat level raised to smooth implementation of preventive measures

Raising the terror threat level in Hungary serves the effective implementation of preventive measures, Gabor Terjek, head of the Counter Terrorism Centre's (TEK) Director General's Office, told the public session of parliament's defence and law enforcement committee on Monday.

In his briefing to the committee, Brigadier General Terjek said that international experience, particularly during periods of escalation in Middle Eastern conflicts, suggested an increased exposure to security risks.

Elevating the terror threat level, he said, enabled the reinforcement of religious and diplomatic facilities, enhanced protection of critical infrastructure, and an improved response capacity for the relevant authorities, adding that prevention was not only justified but unavoidable, necessary, and obligatory.

If state actors or extremist organisations in a regional conflict came into confrontation with Western powers, the security implications typically extended beyond the geographical boundaries of the affected theatre of war, he said. Western interests, especially those linked to the US and Israel, faced heightened threats, and in this respect, Hungary could not be considered a peripheral player, he added.

Terjek said the likelihood of terrorist acts was rising across Europe, citing the example of the incident at the US Embassy in Oslo. Police have reinforced security at foreign missions, increased checks on the safety of relevant public institutions, and bolstered police presence at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport and other civilian airports, Terjek noted.

Contact has also been established with the Federation of Hungarian Jewish Communities (Mazsihisz).

He added that cooperation with foreign partner agencies is ongoing, with continuous and intensified information exchange, and that the TEK and the Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee (TKB) are continuously aggregating, analysing, and evaluating the data.

Orbán: 'Hungary on alert!'

"Hungary on alert! In the wake of the war involving Iran, terrorist cells in Western Europe may be activated. This directly affects Hungary’s security, which is why we have introduced precautionary measures. We will protect the security of Hungary and the Hungarian people," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Facebook on Thursday.

In the video linked to the post, Orban said: "Today we began the day with a meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Coordination Committee, because the war in the Middle East directly affects Hungary's security situation."

Orban convened the leaders of anti-terrorism organisations and stepped up their alert level, he said.

"We have learned that through mass migration, Middle Eastern terrorist organisations have established themselves and grown stronger in Western Europe. We now expect that these organisations and the terrorist cells present in Europe will be activated. Hungary's peace and security will be protected in this situation as well. Therefore, we have strengthened checks of foreign arrivals entering Hungary," Orban said.

Hungarians in Dubai, Abu Dhabi informed of contact numbers

Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó informed Hungarian citizens in Dubai and Abu Dhabi of contact numbers for consular assistance in a video message on Facebook on Saturday.

Szijjarto warned of the risk to Hungarians after Iran attacked several countries in the Gulf region because of American bases there. "Hungarians in Dubai are also directly affected by this dangerous situation," he added.

He noted that the number of Hungarians requesting consular protection had climbed from 371 early on Saturday to over 1,100. He added that airspace over the region was closed.

Because of the high volume of calls, Szijjarto asked for patience from those trying to reach the consular phone number in Abu Dhabi: +971 56 549 9009

If anyone has knowledge of Hungarians who are in trouble and require assistance, they may reach the call centre: +3680368036

Other consular contact numbers:

United Arab Emirates: +971 56 549 9009

Qatar: +974 55 987 066

Jordan: +962 770 448 240

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com
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