Syria Thwarts Hezbollah-Affiliated Cell Plot Across Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Tartous, Latakia

Syria’s Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday that it thwarted what it described as a wide terrorist plot and dismantled a cell affiliated with Hezbollah, while Hezbollah denied any connection to the cell.

“Hezbollah’s Media Relations on Tuesday categorically denied accusations by Syria’s Ministry of Interior that it dismantled a Hezbollah-affiliated cell allegedly planning security operations inside Syria”

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

In a statement cited by multiple outlets, the ministry said cooperation between the Interior Ministry and the General Intelligence Directorate made possible a "decisive pre-emptive strike" against a terrorist plot that sought to threaten the country’s security and its symbols.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

The ministry described a series of synchronized security operations across Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Tartous, and Latakia that led to the dismantling of an organized Hezbollah-affiliated cell.

It said the cell’s members infiltrated Syrian territory after receiving intensive specialized training in Lebanon, and it stated that among those arrested was the official directly in charge of Hezbollah’s assassination file.

The Interior Ministry added that initial investigations revealed the cell intended to implement a disturbing agenda that included systematic assassinations targeting high-ranking government figures.

Hezbollah responded with a release that denied the Syrian ministry’s claims "categorically," saying that repeating these allegations despite Hezbollah’s repeated statement that it has no presence on Syrian territory raises questions and confirms that there are those seeking to ignite tensions and strife between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples.

The Syrian Interior Ministry’s account, as presented by outlets, centered on the mechanics of the alleged cell and the geographic scope of the security response.

The ministry said cooperation between the Interior Ministry and the General Intelligence Directorate enabled a "decisive pre-emptive strike" and described "a series of synchronized security operations" across Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Tartous, and Latakia.

Blick

It said the cell was organized, that its members infiltrated Syrian territory after receiving intensive specialized training in Lebanon, and that specialized units seized a stockpile of integrated military equipment possessed by members of the Hezbollah-affiliated cell.

The ministry also said that among those arrested was the official directly in charge of Hezbollah’s assassination file, who supervised on the ground the development of plans and the setting of targets.

It further stated that initial investigations revealed the cell intended to implement a disturbing agenda that included systematic assassinations targeting high-ranking government figures.

In a separate but related report, Ici Beyrouth described a prior episode in which Syrian security forces arrested five people after disarming an explosive device placed in front of the home of a religious figure near a church in the Bab Touma district of Damascus, and it said the ministry noted that, according to initial elements of the investigation, "the cell was linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah."

Hezbollah’s denials, as carried by multiple outlets, repeatedly rejected the Syrian Interior Ministry’s claims and framed the accusations as an attempt to inflame tensions between Syria and Lebanon.

“Syria: Damascus foils a bombing plot attributed to Hezbollah targeting a rabbi”

i24NEWS

In a statement on Tuesday, Lebanese Hezbollah denied the Syrian Ministry of Interior's claim of foiling a terrorist plot by a cell affiliated with it, saying that any threat to Syria is a threat to Lebanon.

The party said: "We categorically deny the baseless accusations issued by the Syrian Ministry of Interior," which claimed the dismantling of a Hezbollah-affiliated cell planning security operations inside Syrian territory.

It added that the repetition of these allegations by Syrian security authorities, despite Hezbollah’s repeated statements that Hezbollah has no presence in Syrian territory and does not carry out any activity there, raises serious questions and confirms that there are those seeking to ignite tension and sedition between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon’s report similarly quoted Hezbollah’s media relations describing the claims as raising "serious questions" despite Hezbollah’s "repeated declarations that it has no presence or activity inside Syrian territory."

Ici Beyrouth added that Hezbollah insisted it was not carrying out "any activity" in Syria and called on Syrian authorities "to conduct a thorough investigation before making unproven accusations," also accusing "the presence of intelligence services" on Syrian soil of trying to inflame tensions between Lebanon and Syria.

The Syria-Hezbollah dispute described in the sources is not limited to the Tuesday announcement, and several outlets connect the latest claims to earlier incidents and to the broader security posture of Syria’s new authorities.

Ici Beyrouth states that Hezbollah denied any link to a cell that the Syrian Interior Ministry accused of planning an "attack" against an unidentified "religious figure" in Damascus, and it ties the allegation to a specific location and arrest.

La Libre.be

The report says Syrian security forces arrested five people after disarming an explosive device placed "near a church in the Bab Touma district of Damascus," and it says the ministry noted that "the cell was linked to the Lebanese Hezbollah."

It also says Hezbollah called the Interior Ministry’s claims "the false and completely fabricated allegations" and insisted it had "no activity, no links, nor any ties with any party in Syria, and no presence on Syrian soil."

In parallel, i24NEWS reports that Syria foiled a bombing plot attributed to Hezbollah targeting a rabbi, describing that security services monitored a woman suspected of attempting to place an explosive device in front of the home of a religious figure near a church in Bab Touma, and that "All members of the cell were arrested on the spot."

The Times of Israël and La Libre.be both frame the Syrian Interior Ministry’s claims as part of a wider pattern of sabotage and destabilization efforts, with La Libre.be describing that the ministry said it had arrested "members of a cell (...) linked to Hezbollah" preparing an attack from Syrian territory against targets outside the borders.

The sources portray the dispute as tied to Syria’s attempt to tighten security and extend control after the war, while Hezbollah’s denials emphasize that any threat to Syria is a threat to Lebanon.

“On March 2, Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into a new war with Israel, in support of its Iranian ally, until Friday when a ten-day ceasefire went into effect”

La Libre.be

عربي21 says the new Syrian administration is intensively working to tighten security and extend its control, as part of its plans to recover from the devastation of the war, rebuild, achieve stability, and lift the country.

Al-Jazeera Net

In the same coverage, Hezbollah’s statement insists that Hezbollah wants for Syria and its people all the best, that they enjoy security and full stability, and that any threat to Syria’s security is a threat to Lebanon’s security.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon adds that Hezbollah remains focused on defense against the "Zionist enemy and its expansionist projects, which is the enemy of both Lebanon and Syria."

The Times of Israël says that on March 2, Hezbollah drew Lebanon into a new war against Israel, in support of its Iranian ally, facing off against Israel and the United States, until the implementation of a ten-day ceasefire in Lebanon announced Thursday by Washington.

It then says Syria announced last week that it had dismantled a “cell” planning an attack on an unidentified religious figure in Damascus, and that Hezbollah denied any link and said it was not conducting any activity in Syria.