Syria says it dismantled Hezbollah-linked cell plotting assassinations

Authorities say the cell was planning ‘targeted assassinations against high-level government officials’.Syrian authorities say they have arrested a Hezbollah-linked cell accused of plotting to assassinate senior government figures, an allegation rejected as “false” by the Lebanese armed group.The Syrian Ministry of Interior said late on Tuesday it carried out a “series of simultaneous security operations” in the Damascus countryside as well as in the provinces of Aleppo, Homs, Tartous and Latakia.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Syrian authorities arrest main suspect of 2013 Tadamon massacrelist 2 of 4Syria puts first Assad-era official on trial in Damascuslist 3 of 4From exile to judge: Symbolism in Syria’s trial of Assad, former officialslist 4 of 4Down but not out: In war with Israel, Hezbollah shows it is still powerfulend of listAccording to the ministry, the raids resulted in the “dismantling of an organised cell affiliated with the Hezbollah militia, whose members infiltrated Syrian territory after undergoing intensive specialised training in Lebanon”.Since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad’s removal in December 2024, Syria’s new authorities have repeatedly announced the discovery and disruption of alleged plots to undermine security, 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 repetition of these claims by Syrian security authorities despite our repeated declarations that Hezbollah has no presence inside Syrian territory … raises major questions,” the Iran-backed group said.