Experts warn ‘grey-zone warfare’ has reached London after drone threats trigger major security response

Yesterday, police in protective gear sealed off Kensington Gardens after suspicious items were discovered near the Israeli embassy, as counter-terror teams raced to assess whether the scene was linked to online claims of a drone attack involving hazardous materials.

A Metropolitan Police chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) unit was deployed to the scene alongside the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service’s hazardous area response team. The park remains closed while enquiries continue.

An Iranian-linked group claimed online it had “attacked” the nearby Israeli embassy using a drone carrying dangerous substances and warned the public to avoid the area. Both the Metropolitan Police and the Israeli embassy have denied that any such attack took place. But, video footage emerged online showing a drone plastered in pro-Iranian stickers taking off in a park.

Speaking exclusively to LBC, Harry Mead, co-founder and CEO of security firm Augur, said the incident reflects a wider shift towards so-called grey-zone warfare.

“Grey-zone warfare describes activity that sits between crime, terrorism, and overt state conflict, often carried out by proxy actors acting on behalf of hostile states, using low-cost, deniable methods such as drones,” he said.

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He warned that this type of activity has been increasing across mainland Europe in recent years, including sabotage of transport networks and attacks on logistics infrastructure, while the UK has seen fewer incidents until recently.

“This means speed of understanding and response is now critical,” he said.

Mead said such operations are not necessarily designed to succeed in a conventional sense, but instead to create disruption and test national resilience.

“These incidents don’t need to succeed in a traditional sense. Their purpose is to create disruption, uncertainty, and pressure on security systems by exploiting the gaps between intelligence, security, and response,” he said.

He added that the suggestion of hazardous or radioactive material significantly amplifies the impact of such threats.

“Even the suggestion of hazardous or radioactive material escalates public concern, triggers a significant security response, and dominates national attention,” he said.

“These attacks are designed to turn a country’s focus inward, heighten public fear, and stretch defensive resources. That impact is amplified by how quickly information, and misinformation, spreads, particularly on social media.”

Mead also pointed to a growing trend of individuals being persuaded or incentivised to act on behalf of hostile states, making incidents harder to attribute.

“This makes them harder to attribute and easier to deploy at scale,” he said.

He warned that current security systems are not always configured to deal with this type of evolving threat.

“In many cases, our current systems were designed for clearer, more defined threats. What we are now seeing is more fragmented and harder to interpret,” he said.

“Security and response teams are dealing with vast volumes of data without clear ways to prioritise what matters most in real time.”

He added that this creates a gap in decision-making, where early warning signs may be missed, and called for improved coordination and greater use of AI to identify risks earlier.

The incident comes amid broader warnings about the growing role of drones in both conflict and domestic security threats.

As LBC reported last week, Andriy Dovbenko of the UK-Ukraine TechExchange said the war in Ukraine has fundamentally reshaped modern warfare, with drones now central to operations rather than a supporting capability.

Separately, Dominic Surano of Nordic Air Defence warned that drone attacks are becoming increasingly global and harder to contain, following a “kamikaze” drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

Police say enquiries into the Kensington Gardens incident are ongoing and have urged the public to avoid the area while investigations continue.