Syria Announces Foiling of Sabotage Plot by Hezbollah Cell in Daraa

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The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced on Tuesday the thwarting of a sabotage plot in the Yarmouk Basin area in the western countryside of Daraa, stating that a cell affiliated with the Lebanese Hezbollah militia was behind it.

According to the Syrian announcement, the relevant authorities managed to thwart the plot in the area located southwest of Daraa Governorate, while no additional official details have yet emerged regarding the number of cell members or the nature of the plot and the targets that were supposed to be attacked, as well as the weapons or equipment that were seized during the operation.

This new announcement comes at a time when the Syrian authorities are intensifying their operations against what they say are cells and networks linked to Hezbollah within the country.

In May, the Syrian Ministry of Interior announced the implementation of a series of simultaneous security operations in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Tartus, and Latakia, stating that they resulted in the dismantling of an organized cell affiliated with Hezbollah.

The ministry stated at the time that the members of the cell infiltrated into Syria after receiving specialized training in Lebanon, and that initial investigations revealed they were planning to carry out assassinations targeting high-ranking government figures. It also announced the seizure of explosive devices, rocket launchers, weapons, and ammunition. Hezbollah denied the Syrian accusations at the time, asserting that it does not operate within Syrian territory.

This was preceded by an official Syrian announcement about the apprehension of another cell that the authorities claimed was linked to the party, following a joint security operation between internal security and the general intelligence agency. Investigations, according to the Ministry of Interior, showed that its members received training in camps inside Lebanon.

The Syrian authorities also announced in July the thwarting of an attempt to smuggle a shipment of weapons across the border, stating that initial investigations indicated that the shipment was intended for Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Yarmouk Basin area holds special security significance due to its location in the far southwest of Syria, near the borders with Jordan and the Golan Heights.

The area witnessed repeated Israeli movements and incursions during September. On September 25, Syrian state media reported that an Israeli patrol entered the Wadi al-Ruqad area in the Yarmouk Basin, while towns in the area experienced shelling and military movements throughout the current month.

The Interior Ministry's announcement about the new cell adds another security file to the rapidly evolving developments in southern Syria, but determining the scale of the plot, its objectives, and the number of detainees remains contingent on the details that the Syrian Ministry of Interior will release about the operation.