Hezbollah has denied involvement in an alleged plot by a female bomber to kill a rabbi in Syria.
Syrian authorities said the woman was spotted trying to plant an explosive near the home of a “religious figure” in Damascus. Israeli media said the intended target was rabbi Michael Khoury.
With the alleged plot foiled, the bomb was defused by a counter-terrorism unit. Syria's Interior Ministry said early investigations had “revealed links” between the plot and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The woman was arrested, along with four men. The ministry said members of the alleged cell had received “specialised military training abroad, including skills in planting explosive devices”.
Hezbollah denied the claims, calling them “false and fabricated allegations”. It said it had “no activity, connection, or relationship with any party in Syria” and “no presence on Syrian territory”.
The Lebanese group was close to the former Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria, fighting on the Assad government's side during the civil war, but is no longer an ally of the state under President Ahmad Al Shara.
Mr Al Shara's government has made assurances to the US about its ability to stamp out terrorism in return for the lifting of Assad-era sanctions. Last year, it said rocket launchers and ammunition were seized from a suspected Hezbollah cell in the Damascus suburbs.
Attacks linked to ISIS in Damascus and elsewhere have cast doubt on Syria's antiterrorism crackdown. ISIS in February declared war on Mr Al Shara's government, calling it illegitimate because of its ties to Turkey and the US.
