Syria Detains Group Over Rocket Attacks on Damascus Military Airport Amid Hezbollah Allegations

Syria announced on Sunday that its security forces have detained a group accused of carrying out a series of rocket attacks targeting the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus, a strategic site near the capital. According to Syria’s interior ministry, investigations traced the weapons used in the attacks to Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, escalating regional tensions and raising new security concerns.

The ministry stated that security units arrested all members of the group after weeks of surveillance focused on suspected rocket launch locations across several neighborhoods in Damascus. Officials said the group was responsible for multiple attacks on the Mezzeh military airport over recent months, highlighting an ongoing threat to critical military infrastructure in Syria.

Authorities reported that the weapons involved in the attacks originated from Hezbollah, a longtime ally of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Hezbollah previously maintained a significant military presence in Syria, supporting Assad’s forces during the country’s prolonged conflict. However, Syrian officials noted that Hezbollah formally withdrew many of its fighters after the collapse of Assad’s rule, though weapons stockpiles were allegedly left behind.

Hezbollah strongly denied the accusations, stating that it has no operational presence in Syria and no ties to any armed group involved in attacks on Syrian territory. The Syrian interior ministry, while confirming the arrests, avoided directly naming Hezbollah or Iran in its official statement, saying only that the detainees had connections to unidentified “foreign entities.”

In addition to rockets, Syrian authorities said they seized several drones that the group was allegedly preparing to deploy in future operations. Security sources claim that abandoned weapons caches, including drones, remain in parts of Syria following Hezbollah’s withdrawal, posing ongoing risks.

The incident comes amid heightened geopolitical sensitivity. In November, Reuters reported that the United States was considering establishing a military presence at an airbase in Damascus as part of a potential security arrangement between Syria and Israel, though the Syrian government denied the report.

The arrests underscore Syria’s efforts to reassert control and address security threats as regional dynamics continue to shift.