Syrian authorities said on Sunday that they had foiled a plot by members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah to launch a surprise missile attack.
The Syrian Interior Ministry said missiles and launchers were discovered on board a disguised lorry in the southern province of Quneitra.
An ministry source told state news agency Sana that the group had planned to launch rockets across the border “to undermine stability”. The plot was disrupted following what officials described as careful monitoring and tracking of the suspects.
Internal security units seized several missiles and launch platforms that had been “professionally prepared and concealed”, the ministry said, allegedly for use in carrying out attacks.
Two suspects identified as Abdul Hamid Zanouba and Adnan Zain were arrested, and a third is still at large. The operation was conducted by Interior Ministry forces in co-ordination with the General Intelligence Service, Sana reported.
The incident comes amid heightened cross-border tension. On March 2, Hezbollah began launching attacks towards Israel in support of Iran following US and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic, leading to an Israeli offensive that authorities say has killed nearly 2,300 people.
A US-backed ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon aimed at halting fighting with Hezbollah came into effect at midnight on Thursday.
Since the outbreak of hostilities between Iran and the US, Syria has posted elite troops and heavy weapons to areas bordering Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, in what regional sources described as a move aligned with Washington.
A week ago, Syrian authorities claimed a woman linked to Hezbollah was caught trying to plant an explosive near the home of a “religious figure” in Damascus. Israeli media said the intended target was rabbi Michael Khoury.
Hezbollah denied involvement in the alleged plot. Last year, Syrian authorities said rocket launchers and ammunition were seized from a suspected Hezbollah cell in the Damascus suburbs.
Hezbollah, which played a key role in supporting the government of former president Bashar Al Assad during the country’s civil war, has seen its capabilities strained following an Israeli campaign in 2024 that attacked senior operatives in Lebanon and Syria.
