Syrian Authorities Foil Hezbollah-Affiliated Rocket Sabotage Plot in Quneitra

Syrian authorities announced they foiled a sabotage plot in the Quneitra governorate in the southern part of the country, saying it was led by a Hezbollah-affiliated cell intending to launch rockets outside the borders.

The Syrian Ministry of Interior said the operation was carried out in cooperation between internal security and the General Intelligence Directorate, according to SANA.

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Jazeera Net reported that the ministry said the operation resulted in “The arrest of two members of the involved cell; a third member remains at large, and authorities are working to apprehend him.”

The same announcement said authorities seized “a civilian vehicle that had been prepared in a professional and camouflaged manner to conceal rocket launch platforms” and also seized “a quantity of rockets and equipment that were prepared to carry out a surprise attack ‘outside the borders’.”

The Saudi Gazette similarly described a joint operation involving internal security forces and the General Intelligence Service, saying the cell prepared a civilian vehicle modified to conceal equipment intended for launching rockets across the border.

The Jerusalem Post added additional technical detail from Syrian state media, saying security forces found “107mm rockets and a truck that had been altered to enable it to fire rockets from its flat-bed,” and it quoted SANA that “the ministry said in a statement that the group had prepared a civilian vehicle modified to conceal rocket-launching equipment.”

In parallel, L’Orient Today framed the same Quneitra incident as part of a broader pattern, saying the interior ministry said security forces “arrested members of a sabotage cell” linked to Hezbollah and “Assad remnants.”

The Quneitra announcement arrived in a tense security environment that multiple outlets linked to the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire and to ongoing Israeli deployments near the Golan Heights.

The Saudi Gazette said the announcement came “days after a 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect at midnight Friday following Israeli attacks on Lebanon that began March 2,” and it added that “According to official figures, the attacks have killed more than 2,294 people.”

Al-Jazeera Net

Al-Jazeera Net placed the Quneitra plot within a wider sequence, saying the announcement came “amid a complex field reality, as the border area is witnessing rapid developments,” and it pointed to earlier attempts targeting “sensitive sites,” including “the Mezzeh Military Airport.”

It also described how, after “the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, 2024,” Israel deployed forces in a demilitarized zone under UN monitoring, separating Israeli and Syrian troops in the Golan Heights under the “1974 disengagement agreement.”

The same Al-Jazeera Net account said Israel carried out “repeated incursions into Syrian territory, especially in the Quneitra governorate adjacent to the occupied Golan Heights,” and it said Israel announced its aim to establish a demilitarized zone in the south.

The AFP-linked Rai al-Youm report similarly tied the Quneitra plot to the post-Assad security shift and to Israel’s buffer-zone posture, saying Israel deployed forces in a buffer zone “under UN observation” and that it had carried out “frequent incursions into Syrian territory, notably in the al-Quneitra Governorate.”

Across the reports, the border geography and illicit networks were part of the backdrop: Al-Jazeera Net said the Syria-Lebanon border extends “over more than 300 kilometers” and that smuggling networks operate in rugged mountainous areas, including “drug, fuel, and weapon smuggling.”

Hezbollah’s response to the Quneitra allegations was a denial that it had any presence or activity in Syria, and it framed the accusations as fabricated.

“The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced today, Sunday, that it foiled a sabotage plot in the Quneitra governorate in the southern part of the country, led by a Hezbollah cell that intended to launch rockets outside the borders”

Al-Jazeera Net

The Sun Malaysia reported that “The Iran-backed movement Hezbollah issued a strong denial of the ministry’s claims on Sunday, stating they were ‘false and fabricated’,” and it quoted Hezbollah saying they “have ‘no activity, no ties and no relationship with any party in Syria, and has no presence on Syrian soil’.”

The same report said Hezbollah called on Syrian authorities “to conduct a thorough investigation before making accusations without evidence,” and it blamed the incident on “foreign intelligence services seeking to inflame tensions.”

Rai al-Youm, citing AFP, similarly said Hezbollah issued a statement strongly denying “the false and forged allegations issued by the Syrian Interior Ministry about a cell arrested in Syria being linked to Hezbollah,” and it said Hezbollah stressed “it has no presence inside Syrian territory, and that it has no activity there, no matter what form or kind.”

In the Arabic-language account from Al-Madin, Hezbollah “categorically and decisively rejected the false, fabricated claims and allegations issued by the Syrian Ministry of Interior,” and it said the party “has no presence for Hezbollah on Syrian territory” and “no activity whatsoever, in any form or type” there.

L’Orient Today added that Hezbollah said “it has ‘no activity, no ties and no relationship with any party in Syria, and has no presence on Syrian soil’,” and it reported that the group called on Syrian authorities “to conduct a thorough investigation before making accusations without evidence.”

The dispute also played out against a broader narrative of Syria’s changing posture toward Iranian influence: Al-Jazeera Net said the new administration intensified efforts “to restore security and reassert state control,” while L’Orient Today described how, under Assad, Syria was part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” and enabled transfers of weapons and money to Hezbollah, but that “since taking over, Syria's Islamist authorities have rejected Iranian influence.”

While all outlets described the same core claim—Syrian forces foiled a Hezbollah-linked rocket sabotage plot in Quneitra—each report emphasized different details and framed the incident differently.

Al-Jazeera Net focused on the mechanics of the operation and the ministry’s X statement, saying the ministry confirmed the operation resulted in “The seizure of a quantity of rockets and equipment” and that the vehicle was “prepared in a professional and camouflaged manner to conceal rocket launch platforms.”

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

The Saudi Gazette described the same joint operation but added that the ministry “did not specify the intended target,” and it said the plan was uncovered during “a joint operation involving internal security forces and the General Intelligence Service.”

Anadolu Ajansı similarly said the cell prepared a civilian vehicle modified to conceal equipment and that the plot was thwarted after “close monitoring and surveillance of the suspects’ movements,” but it did not add the 107mm detail.

The Jerusalem Post, by contrast, highlighted the technical specifics from SANA, saying security forces found “107mm rockets and a truck that had been altered to enable it to fire rockets from its flat-bed,” and it named detainees, including “Abdul Hamid Zanouba” and “Adnan Zein,” while also stating “a third member of the cell remains at large.”

Al-Madin added a visual and symbolic detail, saying images attached to the statement showed a vehicle with a launcher platform and “Katyusha rockets,” and it reported that one rocket had the inscription “Support for our brothers in Gaza and Lebanon.”

L’Orient Today framed the incident as part of a contest between Syria’s new authorities and Hezbollah-linked remnants, saying the interior ministry said the cell was linked to Hezbollah and “Assad remnants,” and it described the ministry’s view that the incident was among attempts to “destabilize the country and undermine public security.”

Beyond the Quneitra plot, multiple reports described a wider campaign of arrests, seizures, and dismantling of cells that Syrian authorities linked to Hezbollah and to remnants of the former regime.

Al-Jazeera Net said the announcement came after previous attempts targeting “sensitive sites,” including “the Mezzeh Military Airport,” and it also referenced “other attacks against religious figures,” describing them as part of activities aimed at destabilizing and sowing chaos.

Al-Manar TV Lebanon

It added that last week Syria’s interior ministry announced the arrest of five people it said planned to target a religious figure in Damascus, and it said investigations showed their ties to Hezbollah, which later denied involvement.

In February, Al-Jazeera Net said Damascus announced the dismantling of a cell responsible for attacks targeting the Mezze area in the capital, noting that “the weapons used came from Hezbollah, which also denied involvement.”

The البيان report described a dismantling of a Hezbollah terrorist cell active in “several villages and towns,” saying SANA reported the arrest of five members and that preliminary data indicated the cell members were involved in “blasting and preparing explosive devices and laying mines,” with training abroad in explosive manufacture.

It also said a security source linked the arrested cell to another cell that attempted to plant an explosive device in front of a house belonging to a religious figure near the “Virgin Mary Church” in Bab Touma, and it named a liaison figure, saying “Ali Muayed Mahfouz” coordinated between the two terrorist cells and had received training abroad in blasting.

The Jerusalem Post broadened the scope further by describing additional incidents, including a separate operation where Syrian forces seized “various firearms, grenades, military gear, ammunition, and quantities of explosive materials and detonators,” and it said units found items used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs).