DAMASCUS: Syria said Thursday that its forces dismantled a cell affiliated with Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group, a key ally of ousted president Bashar Assad.
“Specialized units in cooperation with the general intelligence service... were able to arrest a terrorist cell belonging to the Hezbollah militia that was active” in the Damascus countryside, an interior ministry statement said, quoting a local commander.
“Preliminary investigations showed that the cell members underwent training in military camps in Lebanese territory, and were planning to carry out operations inside Syrian territory that threaten national security and stability,” the statement said.
Forces seized ammunition and weapons including Grad-type rockets, launchers and anti-tank missiles, it said, adding the case was referred to the judiciary.
Hezbollah fighters helped Assad claw back territory during Syria’s civil war, which erupted in 2011 after the repression of anti-government protests.
