Damascus thwarted a plot by a Hezbollah-affiliated cell to assassinate government officials, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday night.
“Its members had infiltrated Syrian territory after receiving intensive specialized training in Lebanon,” the ministry asserted.
Hezbollah put out a statement denying the “false accusations” that it was behind the cell, asserting it had no presence on Syrian territory. A similar statement was made after Damascus announced it thwarted a Hezbollah-affiliated attack on a rabbi.
“The repetition of these claims by Syrian security authorities despite our repeated declarations that Hezbollah has no presence inside Syrian territory… raises major questions,” the terrorist group wrote, alleging it was part of a wider attempt to divide the Lebanese and Syrian people.
Members of the cell were detained during a “series of simultaneous security operations” in Damascus countryside, Aleppo, Homs, Tartus, and Latakia provinces, according to the official statement.
Authorities also seized a large weapons cache, including explosive devices, rifles, and ammunition, the ministry claimed.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba told Syria’s al-Ikhbariya television that investigations began after authorities learned of a plot to target an internal security unit in Aleppo with an explosive device. The continued investigations led authorities to learn that the group entered Syria from Lebanon using forged documents after receiving military training, including training on how to use drones and explosive devices.
The cell was allegedly led by Mohammad Mahmoud Abdul Hamid, known as Abu Yaarub, who previously worked with the Assad regime’s military intelligence branch in Aleppo and was later recruited by Hezbollah, Baba claimed.