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Syria on November 3 accused Hezbollah of involvement in a plot to attack the Homs oil refinery, saying security forces had arrested members of a suspected cell and seized explosives allegedly prepared for the operation.
The General Intelligence Service and Internal Security Forces conducted a joint operation that foiled the alleged plot, the Internal Security Forces said in a statement carried by the state-run SANA news agency.
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The statement described the detained suspects as members of a cell affiliated with Hezbollah but provided no evidence of the group’s involvement.
Authorities did not disclose the number or identities of those arrested or specify when the alleged attack was supposed to take place.
The announcement follows an initial disclosure on November 1, when a source in the General Intelligence Service said authorities had foiled a plot targeting the refinery without identifying those responsible.
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The Homs refinery is one of Syria’s two main oil-processing facilities, alongside the Baniyas refinery on the coast. Together, they supply essential petroleum products to the domestic market, including diesel, fuel oil and kerosene. The Homs facility has been undergoing rehabilitation work, with its No. 10 atmospheric distillation unit restored in October. The unit has a designed processing capacity of 1 million metric tons of crude oil annually.
The accusation comes amid growing tensions between Damascus and Hezbollah, which was a major military ally of former Syrian President Bashar Assad during the country’s civil war.
Since Assad’s overthrow close to two years ago, Syrian authorities have repeatedly accused the Lebanese group of maintaining clandestine networks and attempting to establish an operational presence inside Syria.
In September, Syrian security forces announced the arrest of three people in the Yarmouk Basin in Daraa province, accusing them of belonging to a Hezbollah-linked cell that was preparing rocket-launching platforms for attacks. Hezbollah denied any connection to the suspects, saying it had no presence or security or military activity in Syria.
These developments also follow reports of secret contacts between Syrian government officials and Hezbollah representatives in Turkey in September, aimed at easing tensions between the two sides. Reuters reported on the meeting, although both the Syrian and Turkish governments denied it had taken place.
United States President Donald Trump has meanwhile repeatedly floated the idea of supporting a Syrian military operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa could be more effective than Israel in fighting the group.
The latest accusation comes amid heightened tensions surrounding Iran and Hezbollah. Israel has warned that it would resume military operations in Lebanon if the group joins any renewed confrontation with the Islamic Republic.
The U.S. has also reportedly urged regional allies to prepare for possible renewed strikes against Iran after the November 3 U.S. midterm elections.
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so the zionist slave ahmed al sharaa playing dirty game . and want to target lebnon and hezbollah . iran should warn syria president the zionist lap dog if they attacked hezbollah they will get hit
100% terrorist takfiris working for israel trying to throw mud at hezbollah.
so did al-sharaa send f*ing syrians to fight yemenis/houthis, already? or is he still pissing in his pants?