Syria Dismantles Hezbollah Cell, Foils Assassination Plot

Syrian authorities announced late Tuesday that security forces had dismantled a cell linked to Hezbollah, arresting its members and thwarting an alleged plot to assassinate high-ranking government officials.

The Interior Ministry stated that specialized units, working with the General Intelligence Service, conducted simultaneous raids in the Damascus countryside and the provinces of Aleppo, Homs, Tartus and Latakia. Officials said the cell's members had entered Syria from Lebanon using forged documents after receiving training there, including on drones and explosive devices. Preliminary investigations indicated the group had advanced to planning systematic assassinations, along with other potential attacks.

During the operations, forces arrested all suspects, including 11 individuals whose photos were released by the ministry. Among them was a figure described as responsible for planning and overseeing the assassinations. A ministry spokesperson, Nour al-Din al-Baba, told state television al-Ikhbariya that one suspect, Mohammad Mahmoud Abdul Hamid, known as Abu Yaarub, had previously worked in the ousted regime's military intelligence in Aleppo before being recruited by Hezbollah.