Lebanese security forces have arrested five Lebanese and Syrian nationals suspected of smuggling fighters from Syria into Lebanon and providing them with military training before they allegedly planned attacks against Syrian government forces, media reports said.

Lebanon's Internal Security Forces said its Information Branch had uncovered a network involved in bringing fighters across the northern border from Syria and transporting them to the eastern Bekaa Valley for military training.

The five suspects are being questioned under the supervision of Lebanon's top public prosecutor, Judge Jamal Hajjar, who ordered investigators to broaden the inquiry to determine the full scope of the network and identify other possible members.

Authorities seized machine guns, sniper rifles and explosives during the operation, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.

Security forces are also tracking several individuals whose names emerged during the preliminary investigation. Once the initial inquiry is completed, the case is expected to be transferred to Lebanon's military judiciary for further legal action.

Agence France-Presse, citing a Lebanese judicial source, reported that the network consisted of two Lebanese nationals and three Syrians, including a former Syrian intelligence officer who held the rank of colonel.

The group is suspected of preparing attacks against Syrian government forces in Syria's coastal region, the judicial source said.

The source added that the network was allegedly directed by a former Syrian army general living in Moscow who is close to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Investigators believe members of the group received military training in eastern Lebanon from Hezbollah fighters, according to the judicial source. Hezbollah was a key military ally of Assad's government during Syria's civil war.

Preliminary findings indicate that the suspects were planning operations against government forces in Syria's coastal region, where the population is predominantly Alawite and which witnessed sectarian violence in March 2025, the source said.

The expanding Lebanese investigation is now focused on identifying additional suspects and establishing the network's broader structure, including the circumstances surrounding the movement of fighters, weapons and explosives across the Lebanese-Syrian border.