Swiss Embassy with its US interests section leaves Tehran, the Bundeswehr pulls out of the UN mission in Lebanon and France, Italy deploy naval assets to the eastern Mediterranean

We are all familiar with the story of Icarus and if not, we should be. In Greek mythology, the son of Daedalus dies after flying too close to the sun with his wax and feather wings. The Dutch Renaissance painter Pieter Breughel depicts Icarus with his legs up in the water, an afterthought in the lower right of a canvas where the focal point are the more Sisyphean characters of a man with his horse-drawn plough tilling the land while another laborer, this time a shepherd, tends to his flock beside the water. Breughel's work shows the diligence and persistence of those who take care and the folly of those who soar hubristically to impossible heights before crash landing for no purpose but their own self-conceit.

One need not observe only US President Donald Trump bombing Iran along with another cynical figure, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or a Supreme Leader Khamenei Senior or Junior for this story to have appeal. American public support for this war at its start is lower than any other foreign conflict on record, with only 41% on board according to The New York Times. The Day One death of the long-serving father of the newly named Supreme Leader led the new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khameini to remain in the shadows, issuing only a proclamation on his coronation, as questions about his health and whereabouts swirl, according to Iran International.

While Swiss diplomats at the interests section of the embassy in Tehran work to maintain the sole official diplomatic channel between the US and Iran, their evacuation—likely through Azerbaijan—this past week suggests another approach. In a story with no heroes, these diplomats carry an extraordinary weight that does not go unnoticed, as a US Embassy Bern post on X acknowledged their "vital work". Like the ploughman or the shepherd, their diligence might not pay off but rather offer the minimum subsistence over generations. It's quiet, humble, courageous work done at great risk with no public glory.

However, these diplomats are outliers in a scene dominated not by self-sacrifice and quiet dignity but rather freeloading and opportunism. If we are to stay with this theme of parables, neutrality is also the naked emperor whose clothes he imagines are the talk of all of society when in fact, the only armor is flesh and the reality is unpleasant exposure. Like Icarus, the hubristic never realize they are flying too close to the sun. They imagine the good will of others will butress their fall rather than permit the oceans to swallow them whole. When they do fall, but a splash is heard and not even an after thought is given. Opportunism and arrogance might get one as far as the sun but this is not to be mistaken for the reward of a golden parachute rather than a frigid plunge on offer.

As a reminder, in ten days, the Bern Security Dialogue is kicking off its activities in Switzerland with a pub quiz at 7pm at Papa Joe's at Schauplatzgasse 23 in Bern. Come and test your knowledge in six key areas of geopolitics including military, political, diplomatic, cultural, historical and geographical trivia. Show us what you have got and participate for a chance to win an annual print subscription to Foreign Affairs.

Welcome to the new Alpine Security Monitor! You can subscribe (and become a paid subscriber!) for weekly updates on security and geopolitics as it concerns the Alpine region, namely Austria, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland (ok, little Liechtenstein and Monaco too when merited). If this was forwarded to you, welcome! Questions, complaints, musings, lucrative offers, misguided rants and related ephemera can all be addressed to the management, amanda.rivkin@securitydialogue.org. Now let's get to the week's news from around the Alpine region.

TEHRAN, IRAN – Swiss Embassy, home to US interests section, closes due to conflict

Swissinfo reports Wednesday that the Swiss Embassy in Tehran which houses the US interests section has closed temporarily due to the conflict in the Middle East, with embassy staff evacuated.
While the Swiss Foreign Ministry did not indicate where embassy staff were relocated to except to say they left "by land," in all likelihood they are in the Azerbaijani capital Baku where they were evacuated to last year during the 12-day war. As Switzerland "acts as a protecting power for the United States in Iran," Switzerland "is keeping its communication channel open between the two countries". On X, the US Embassy in Bern wrote that the Americans are "deeply grateful for the dedication of the Swiss Embassy and Swiss Protecting Power staff, whose vital work remains essential to protecting U.S. interests and supporting our citizens."
Four other embassy staff left last week, with all embassy staff slated to return as soon as the situation permits them to do so safely. The Slovenian government said Sunday it had also evacuated its staff from Tehran via Azerbaijan in a statement.

NAQUORA, LEBANON – Germany pulls Bundeswehr troops out of UNIFIL mission

The Times of Israel reports last Friday that Germany pulled Bundeswehr troops out of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission on the seventh day of the US and Israeli war on Iran due to the deteriorating security situation.
The Bundeswehr already "sharply reduced its presence in Erbil in northern Iraq" as the regional security situation spirals beyond normal levels of volatility into the extreme range. German troops stationed in Bahrain "had already returned home," the "preparations for withdrawals from Kuwait were underway" and "staff from the German Embassy in Baghdad were being relocated to Jordan", according to the RND newspaper network.
Approximately 500 German troops are deployed across the Middle East, mainly in Jordan and Iraq.

PAPHOS, CYPRUS – France, Italy deploy naval vessels in 'defensive' mission to Middle East

Reuters and Le Monde report Monday that "France is deploying about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defense support to allies" while Naval News reports Monday that the Italian government deployed "the Bergamini-class FREMM frigate Martinego to contribute to the multi-domain European and UK force package".
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke in Cyprus prior to a visit aboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier which arrived in the eastern Mediterranean over the weekend after drones were intercepted en route to Cyprus last week. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni added that the decision comes after "close consultations among Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom" in order "to prevent, as much as possible, a further escalation and to contribute to international stability".
While Europe has been sidelined following joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran, soaring oil prices over $100 (€86) a barrel and Middle Eastern shipping lanes affected, "European powers are grappling with the issue of how to defend their interests."

WARSAW, POLAND – Poland seeks assistance from France in Epstein investigation

Reuters reports Wednesday that Poland will request "information and evidence" from France and Sweden "for its investigation into human trafficking related to late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein".
Documents from the US Department of Justice's January drop of "the Epstein files indicated a reasonable suspicion that human trafficking had taken place in Poland." Authorities are examining the period from 2009-2019, when prosecutors suspect women and girls were recruited for work abroad under false pretexts and then sexually exploited.
While the Polish authorities did not name which two countries they were seeking assistance from, Reuters sources pointed to France and Sweden, specifically in connection with two modeling scouts, Jean Luc Brunel, who died of suicide in a Paris jail in 2022, and Algerian-born Daniel Siad who moved to Sweden at the age of 23.

PARIS, FRANCE – International Energy Agency to make 400 million barrels of oil available

The Associated Press reports Thursday that the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) agreed with its 32 member countries to release "the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history", 400 million barrels of oil.
The amount is nearly double what was released in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, when 182.7 million barrels were released.
Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director, however said, "the most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas is the resumption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz." The 400 million barrels of emegency reserves is equivalent to roughly "20 days of the volume being exported through the Strait of Hormuz."

DRESDEN, GERMANY – Evacuation of 18,000 follows discovery of WW2-era bomb

CBS News reports Wednesday that "An unexploded World War II bomb was successfully defused in the German city of Dresden" after 18,000 were evacuated when a British bomb weighing 550 pounds (200 kilos) "was found on Tuesday during work in the city center to rebuild a bridge over the river Elbe that collapsed in 2024."
The evacuation of 18,000 people was the largest ever evacuation in Dresden and involved more than 400 police who were backed up by emergency services, a drone and a helicopter. The detonator was removed by 3:10pm Wednesday prior to a controlled detonation. Major historic sites in the city center were closed including the Zwinger Palace, Frauenkirche church, as well as residential buildings, hotels and government offices.
Dresden was firebombed by the allies from February 13-14, 1945, resulting in the death of approximately 25,000 people and destroying parts of the historic old city that had been known for Baroque architecture.

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland expected to buy 30 F35As not 36 due to higher cost

Reuters reports last Friday that Switzerland's Defense Minister Martin Pfister announced at a press conference that his country plans to buy six fewer F35s than the original order due to a discrepancy over the price when the contract was signed versus over time.
In addition to requesting fewer fighter jets than initially sought, Pfister is also requesting an additional credit of 394 million Swiss francs (€437 million or $561 million) from the Swiss Parliament to help cover costs.
Switzerland has also had Patriot air defense systems it hoped to acquire from the US delayed due to the more immediate need for the conflict in Ukraine under NATO's Priority Ukraine Requirements List (PURL).

KERZERS, SWITZERLAND – Six killed, three hospitalized in potentially 'deliberate' bus fire

CBS News reports Tuesday that a bus fire that killed six and left three with severe injuries in the town of Kerzers with police investigating "whether the blaze was set by someone on the bus."
Frederic Papaux, the police spokesman in the canton of Fribourg, told the media that "we have elements suggesting a deliberate act by a person who was inside the bus" while "Authorities said they could not immediately confirm reports that a person had doused themselves in gasoline".
People were fleeing the bus as first responders arrived on the scene and images published by "Swiss media showed flames tearing through the bus."

AARAU, SWITZERLAND – 18 year old charged with plotting ISIS-inspired terror attack

Swissinfo reports Thursday that an 18 year old was charged with "planning a knife attack in the name of the terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS), which is banned in Switzerland."
The federal police filed a criminal complaint last June alleging the young man "might be planning a terrorist attack", leading to his arrest.
Following an investigation, authorities uncovered a plot dating to early 2025 to stab random people. Based on the indictment, "the defendant took precautions to carry out this plan, obtaining relevant instructions, networking with like-minded individuals, researching the religious justification for such an attack, and ordering a suitable knife online."

CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND – Bar owners investigated for money laundering

Swissinfo reports Tuesday that the owners of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana where a deadly fire on New Year's Eve killed 41 people and left more than 100 seriously injured are now under investigation by the federal police for money laundering.
A statement by the federal police addressed to cantonal officials in Valais suggests Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the couple that owned Le Constellation, "may have laundered funds of criminal origin through several of their businesses." Their lawyer said "no conclusions" can be made based on the federal police document.
The money laundering office of the federal police cited "opaque transactions, unusual bank activity, a possible 'Ponzi-type' scheme, and other indicators of illicit financial conduct." The 15-page document "lists mortgages, leases, government subsidies, legitimate commercial activities, and a series of more dubious financial operations, including unexplained loans and repayments" involving sums amounting to "hundreds of thousands of francs." Further, "Jacques Moretti may have used false documents as guarantees" and there is a possibility that "Beyond money laundering, the misconduct could extend to mismanagement, forgery of securities, and insurance fraud, referencing at least one fire at another of the couple's establishments, Le Vieux Chalet."

ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND – Report indicates rising online antisemitism, drop in violence

Swissinfo reports Tuesday that there were "almost 2,200 online incidents" of antisemitism recorded in a report published by the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities and the Foundation Against Racism and Antisemitism but a nearly 20% drop in recorded incidents in real life physical spaces in the German, Italian and Romansch speaking areas of the country.
While the report doubtfully captures the full picture of hate in Switzerland, what it does record is alarming in that "five acts of violence, 42 insults, 80 antisemitic statements and 28 offensive written declarations are documented."
The Swiss public broadcaster notes, "There is no sign of a return to pre-7 October 2023 levels," when Hamas launched a violent attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and netted the terror group some 200 hostages. However, if one is reporting on antisemitism and believes, "The war in the Middle East remained the most important trigger," surely one is bypassing centuries of European history or inward reflection about why this might trigger hate in a country that by all accounts is "neutral" and not at war.

And finally…

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Bear penis will remain on Bernese coat of arms

Swissinfo reports last Friday that Green Liberal politician Thomas Brönnimann received a negative reply to his written query as to "whether it would not be more appropriate to depict the bear" on the Bernese coat of arms "without its masculine attributes, so that the population as a whole would feel better represented."
Brönnimann also thought perhaps "As a symbol of progress, the bear could also be moved from bottom to top and from left to right in the future". It is unclear how such alterations to a centuries-old crest would imbue it with "progress".
To both proposals, the executive rejected the suggestions as "The bear has a tradition that goes back at least 600 years".

Stay safe and keep discussing bear penis rather than air defense!

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