PARIS (AP) — Cyberattacks have disrupted European supermarket chains, affecting refrigeration systems at hundreds of stores in France and forcing a major grocer to shut down websites serving customers in Europe and the United States.
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told Parliament on Tuesday that about 700 of the country’s 10,000 supermarkets were affected. He said there was no risk to France’s food supplies but acknowledged that the attack “touches the heart of our food security.”
“It was a wake-up call for everyone,” he said.
The Paris prosecutor’s office said Tuesday that its cybercrime unit was investigating the large-scale attack, including the extent of damage caused by spoiled food and reports of fires.
French supermarket group Groupement Mousquetaires, which operates more than 4,000 stores across Europe, said 300 of its Intermarché and Netto stores were impacted. Some refrigerated and frozen food display cases remained out of service Tuesday.
Dominique Schelcher, CEO of French grocery chain Cooperative U, said 80 of the company’s 2,000 stores were affected. Most managed to prevent disruptions to refrigeration, but some had to discard food, he said in a post on X.
“Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products is an attack on the French food supply chain. It is unprecedented, extremely serious, and unacceptable,” Schelcher said.
Carrefour and Monoprix supermarkets were also impacted.
Danish technology company Danfoss, which supplied the refrigeration management software, said Monday that most affected systems were older products that no longer received software or security updates.
“Danfoss has long advised customers to keep supported systems updated with the latest firmware, as well as to operate behind a firewall,” the company said.
Danfoss said it was working with affected customers to limit the damage.
Separately, Dutch supermarket giant Ahold Delhaize said Tuesday it was working to restore systems it had shut down following what it described as a security issue. The company, which operates Albert Heijn in the Netherlands, Delhaize in Belgium and Stop & Shop in the United States, declined to provide further details.
Websites for several of its brands, including Stop & Shop, Food Lion and Albert Heijn, remained offline Tuesday, although stores were open and serving customers.
Ahold Delhaize said it had no evidence that customer or employee data had been stolen.
“Protecting our infrastructure in the best interest of our customers, associates and partners is a top priority,” the company said. “We apologize for any inconvenience this issue may have caused customers and partners.”
Durbin contributed from Detroit, Michigan.
FILE - A car leaves a Carrefour supermarket in Anglet, southwestern France, on Jan. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/Bob Edme, File)
Iran appears to be targeting vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers around the Strait of Hormuz, according to a military institute. Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition launched new airstrikes on Tuesday on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, according to Houthi-run broadcaster Al Masirah and residents.
The strikes followed a coalition spokesman’s warning urging residents to evacuate the area. A spokesman for the Iran-backed rebels warned that any attack on Sanaa would draw a “harsh and painful” response against the Saudi capital.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Tuesday. Read our full coverage here.
Iran appears to be targeting commercial vessels conducting ship-to-ship oil transfers in and near the Strait of Hormuz in order to try to undermine vessels’ ability to move energy through the strait, the Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday.
Iran may be developing its anti-ship missile capabilities, the U.S.-based think tank said in a post on X.
The U.K.’s Maritime Trade Operations Centre posted on X Monday that at least three vessels had been attacked by unknown projectiles in the strait a day earlier. There were no immediate claims of responsibility.
But Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s top security body, told state TV on Saturday that Iranian forces were striking an average of five “smuggling ships” every night.
Rezaei appeared to be referring to U.S. efforts to guide oil shipments through the strait before the oil is transferred to larger tankers waiting in the Gulf of Oman.
The Saudi-led coalition carried out new airstrikes Tuesday on Yemen’s Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, according to Houthi-run broadcaster Al Masirah and local residents.
The strikes came shortly after a coalition spokesman urged residents to evacuate the area for their safety. Witnesses in Sanaa reported hearing explosions, but it was not immediately clear what was hit.
Earlier, Gen. Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Iran-backed rebels, warned that any attack on Sanaa would draw a “harsh and painful” response against the Saudi capital.
The exchange of threats comes as Saudi Arabiainvestigates why its air defenses failed to intercept a barrage of missiles and drones fired by the Houthis. An attack on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300.
International airlines were warned by the Houthi-controlled Foreign Ministry on Tuesday that flights to Saudi airports were “unsafe” except those serving the holy sites of Mecca and Medina.
The ministry said the kingdom “must realize that security, stability, and sovereignty must belong to everyone — otherwise, no one will enjoy them,” a statement published by the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency said.
The rebels also warned on Tuesday that oil facilities of the Saudi oil giant Aramco are legitimate targets and asked people, including workers, to avoid the sites.
Airstrikes hit several rebel-held areas, including the Red Sea island of Kamaran, the Houthi-run Al Masirah television said Tuesday. The broadcaster blamed Saudi Arabia but provided no further details.
Meanwhile, Yemen’s Interior Ministry said on X that Houthi strikes on Taiz had killed six people and wounded 18 amid ongoing fighting in the region. The rebels have been advancing on the major southwestern city, a long-sought prize.
The reported airstrikes came hours after air raid sirens sounded on Monday evening in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where residents heard explosions.
The Houthis said they fired a ballistic missile toward King Khalid International Airport, which has been hit by a series of deadly attacks in recent days.
An Israeli strike killed one person in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The Israeli military said it targeted a military operative in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighborhood.
Nearly 1,500 Palestinians have been killed since a ceasefire took effect just over a year ago, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between militants and civilians in its count but says more than half of those killed were women and children.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the country’s army chief of staff spoke by phone with his Pakistani counterpart as both countries consider providing military support to Saudi Arabia under a trilateral defense agreement.
The ministry provided few details of the talks between Turkish Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu and Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said last week that Turkey and Pakistan were considering military support for their ally under the agreement but ruled out sending combat troops.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
A displaced Yemeni child sits under a tree as families gather to receive aid at the Al-Fallahine displacement camp in Dar Saad district, Aden, Yemen, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
A displaced Yemeni woman sits beside mattresses distributed at the Al-Fallahine displacement camp in Dar Saad district, Aden, Yemen, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
Displaced Yemeni children sit in a vehicle as families gather to receive aid at the Al-Fallahine displacement camp in Dar Saad district, Aden, Yemen, Monday, Oct. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
