Syrian authorities have announced the arrest of a cell allegedly linked to Hezbollah, accusing it of plotting to assassinate senior government figures. The Lebanese armed group has dismissed the allegations as “false”.

The Syrian Interior Ministry said late Tuesday it conducted a “series of simultaneous security operations” in the Damascus countryside and the provinces of Aleppo, Homs, Tartous, and Latakia.

According to the ministry, the raids resulted in the “dismantling of an organized cell affiliated with the Hezbollah militia, whose members infiltrated Syrian territory after undergoing intensive specialized training in Lebanon”.

Since the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Syria’s new authorities have repeatedly announced the discovery and disruption of alleged plots, which they have attributed to Hezbollah – accusations the group has consistently denied.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the cell was planning “targeted assassinations against high-level government officials”, the ministry statement said, adding that they seized military equipment, including explosive devices and RPG launchers.

The ministry released photos of 11 suspects, without disclosing their nationalities, saying they included the person allegedly in charge of planning and supervising the attacks.

Hezbollah issued a statement “categorically denying the false accusations from the Syrian interior ministry”. The Iran-backed group said the “repetition of these claims… raises major questions” and “suggests that there are those who seek to ignite tensions and strife between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples”.

Hezbollah was a key ally of al-Assad, and its intervention was widely seen as pivotal in shifting Syria’s war in his favor. Before that, Syria served as a crucial corridor for the transfer of Iranian weapons to Hezbollah.

Source: www.aljazeera.com