Authorities in London have launched a counter-terrorism investigation after an unverified group issued an uncorroborated claim that it launched drone attacks carrying hazardous materials targeting the Israeli Embassy in the United Kingdom capital.
The incident unfolded on Friday, when uniformed officers in protective gear cordoned off an area near the diplomatic mission, located adjacent to Kensington Gardens. Law enforcement teams have cordoned off the entire public access to the gardens and surrounding streets as they conduct forensic examinations of a collection of discarded items recovered at the site, and have issued urgent appeals for local residents and visitors to steer clear of the restricted zone.
As of Friday, officials have released limited concrete details about the circumstances of the incident. However, law enforcement confirmed they are assessing the credibility of a video circulated widely on social media overnight. In the footage, a little-known organization calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya (Hayi) claims responsibility for a drone strike against the embassy. The video displays a target overlay on an exterior photograph of the Israeli Embassy, and shows unidentified individuals in hazmat suits operating unmanned aerial vehicles that the group alleges are loaded with dangerous substances.
According to open-source claims, Hayi has been linked to Iran by multiple international observers, and the group only emerged publicly following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against that country. The organization has also been named as the claimant for a string of alleged attacks targeting Jewish and Israeli sites across multiple European nations. Despite these claims, independent security analysts have repeatedly raised major questions about the actual existence of the group, the veracity of its claimed attacks, and the alleged ties to the Iranian government. Experts have pointed to multiple inconsistencies in the group’s public messaging and a complete lack of verifiable evidence confirming its operations, casting major doubt on its credibility.
In an official statement issued Friday, London’s Metropolitan Police moved to reassure the public that there is currently no identified elevated risk to community safety. “While we can confirm that the embassy has not been attacked, we are carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens,” the statement read. Counter Terrorism Policing London confirmed it is leading the ongoing investigation, with forensic teams continuing to process the scene and verify the online claim as of Friday afternoon.