Hezbollah denied accusations by the Syrian Interior Ministry that it was linked to a cell the ministry said had been planning an assassination operation in the capital, Damascus, describing the claims as “false and fabricated.”
In a statement issued today, Sunday, April 12, Hezbollah said it “has no activity, connection, or relationship with any party in Syria,” adding that it has no presence on Syrian territory. The statement was a direct response to claims made by the Syrian Interior Ministry.
The group added that it is committed to “Syria’s security, stability, and the safety of its people in all their components,” and called on Syrian authorities to “verify carefully before making accusations,” particularly amid what it described as the presence of “intelligence agencies seeking to ignite tension between Lebanon and Syria.”
Official accusations of a foiled “sabotage” plot
The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Saturday, April 11, that it had foiled what it described as a “sabotage” plot targeting Damascus through a joint security operation by the Counterterrorism Directorate and Internal Security Command in Rural Damascus.
The ministry said the operation followed “precise” security monitoring of what it described as suspicious movements inside the capital. It added that a woman was spotted while allegedly attempting to plant an explosive device in front of the home of a religious figure near the Mariamite Church in the Bab Touma area of Damascus.
According to the statement, security forces dismantled the device before it exploded, with no injuries or material damage reported. The ministry also said five people were arrested and identified them as the full membership of the cell.
Activists and media outlets close to the government quoted an official source as saying the target was rabbi Michael Houri, but no independent confirmation of that information had been issued at the time of writing.
Linking the cell to Hezbollah
In its statement, the Interior Ministry said preliminary investigations showed that the cell was linked to Hezbollah, adding that its members had received military training outside the country, including skills in planting explosive devices.
The ministry did not provide further details about the identities of those arrested or the nature of the alleged relationship with Hezbollah, nor did it clarify the route of their movements inside Syria.
It added that investigations were still ongoing to uncover the circumstances of the case and the parties connected to it, in preparation for referring the detainees to the competent judiciary. No independent information was available to confirm either side’s account.
Repeated security incidents
These developments come amid a series of security operations announced by the Interior Ministry over recent months, most notably the dismantling of a cell it said was responsible for attacks targeting the Mazzeh district in Damascus and the area around its military airport.
According to previous ministry statements, investigations with suspects in those cases showed links to external actors, including Hezbollah, as well as the use of rockets and drones in carrying out the attacks, amid fluctuating security indicators and increased cell activity in recent months.
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