DAMASCUS, Feb 1 - Syrian authorities announced on Sunday they have detained a group they say carried out several rocket attacks on the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus over recent months. The interior ministry said the arrests followed surveillance of suspected launch locations across multiple parts of the capital.
Investigators, the ministry added, traced the weapons used in the Mezzeh strikes to Lebanon's Hezbollah. The interior ministry described Hezbollah as an ally of former President Bashar al-Assad that at one time maintained a significant military presence in Syria in support of Assad's army.
Hezbollah rejected the claims, issuing a denial that it had any activity or ties with any group inside Syria. The ministry's public statement, however, referred only to links between the detainees and unidentified "foreign entities" and did not explicitly name Hezbollah or Iran.
Officials said they also confiscated a number of drones the arrested group was allegedly preparing to use in further operations. Those seizures were presented as evidence of planned additional activity targeting the capital or military infrastructure.
Context and related developments
Separately, reporting in November indicated that Washington was planning to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to support a security pact Washington is brokering between Syria and Israel. The Syrian government publicly denied that report.
Security sources, quoted by authorities, said that Hezbollah left behind stockpiles of weapons in parts of Syria after withdrawing its forces following the collapse of Assad's rule. Those stockpiles were said to include drones and other materiel that could be repurposed by local groups.
Implications
The Syrian interior ministry framed the arrests and seizures as the result of targeted surveillance and security operations in Damascus. The incident highlights ongoing uncertainties over armed groups, leftover weapons, and the potential for future strikes in and around major military facilities.