Vandals targeted France’s high-speed TGV network with a series of coordinated attacks, causing major disruptions on some of the country’s busiest rail lines just before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on Friday. The state-owned railway operator, SNCF, reported that arsonists had damaged installations along lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west, and Strasbourg in the east.

SNCF has urged travelers to postpone their journeys as repairs are underway, though traffic disruptions are expected to last until at least the end of the weekend. Many trains have been sent back to their points of departure. “Last night, the SNCF was victim of several acts of vandalism on the Atlantic, Northern, and Eastern high-speed lines. Fires were deliberately set to damage our installations,” SNCF said in a statement.

These attacks have heightened apprehensions ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris later on Friday. To secure the event, France is rolling out an unprecedented peacetime security operation, deploying over 45,000 police officers, 10,000 soldiers, and 2,000 private security agents. Snipers will be stationed on rooftops, and drones will monitor from the air.

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There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the vandalism, and no indication of political motives. Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete condemned the acts as criminal, and the Paris police chief announced increased security at the capital’s main stations. Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera also condemned the vandalism.

The disruptions come at a critical time as France prepares to host the world for the Olympics, emphasizing the need for heightened vigilance and security measures.

“It’s completely appalling,” she told BFMTV. “To target the games is to target France.”

At the Gare de L’Est, traveller Corinne Lecocq said her train to Strasbourg on the border with Germany had been cancelled.

“We’ll take the slow line,” she said. “I’m on holiday so it’s OK, even if it is irritating to be late.”

(With inputs from Reuters)