Syrian authorities said Saturday they had foiled a sabotage plot and dismantled what they described as a “terrorist network” linked to Hezbollah, following a coordinated security operation that led to the arrest of five individuals across several towns and villages.

A source at the Syrian Ministry of Interior told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that the plot was uncovered through joint efforts by the Internal Security Forces and the General Intelligence Directorate. The source said the cell had been planning to launch rockets from inside Syrian territory toward targets outside the country’s borders, with the aim of destabilizing security.

The Ministry of Interior said the operation was the result of a lengthy period of surveillance and intelligence gathering, which enabled security units to track the movement of suspects before launching coordinated raids that resulted in their arrest.

According to information published on the ministry’s Telegram channel, preliminary findings indicate that members of the cell were involved in manufacturing explosive devices, preparing booby traps, and carrying out sabotage-related activities. The suspects, it added, are believed to have received specialised training abroad from explosives experts.

During the operation, security forces also seized what officials described as an arsenal of weapons and military equipment, including firearms, ammunition, explosives, detonators, protective vests, and other combat materials prepared for use in planned attacks.

The Interior Ministry said investigations are ongoing to identify all individuals and networks linked to the cell, as well as any supporting parties, in order to take appropriate legal action against those arrested.

In a related development, a security source told SANA that the dismantled network is linked to another cell allegedly involved in a previous attempted attack. That group was said to have tried to plant an explosive device outside the home of a religious figure near the Church of St. Mary in the Bab Touma district on April 11.

The same source said the arrested network is connected to a Hezbollah-linked cell whose members were detained in the Damascus countryside on April 11 while allegedly planning to target Rabbi Michael Houri in Damascus.

It added that one of the detained individuals, identified as Ali Muayyad Mahfouz, was responsible for coordinating between the two cells and had reportedly received training abroad in the use of improvised explosive devices.

The source also said Mahfouz’s role as a liaison between the groups explained the repeated publication of his photograph in official reports.

Earlier, the Ministry of Interior announced that five members of the cell had been arrested as part of a broader security operation targeting multiple locations.