Syrian Authorities Arrest Five in Alleged Hezbollah-Linked Plot Near Golan Heights

Syrian state media reported that authorities thwarted a sabotage plot by a cell linked to Hezbollah on April 19, 2026, with five members arrested in ongoing efforts to disrupt terrorist activity. A source at the Syrian Interior Ministry stated that the cell planned to carry out rocket attacks from the area of Quneitra near the Golan.

Photos showed an improvised multiple rocket launcher embedded in the back of a small commercial truck and a number of rockets, similar to the 107-millimeter types used by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and trafficked by Iran to various groups.

The Syrian Interior Ministry and General Intelligence Service carried out the operation, as detailed in reports from the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). This followed another bust on April 18, 2026, where authorities found weapons and military gear, suspecting the cell was preparing improvised explosive devices and other explosives.

A security source told SANA that this dismantled cell was linked to another terrorist group that attempted to plant an explosive device near the home of a religious figure in the vicinity of the Mariamite Church in Bab Touma on April 11, 2026.

Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, told the UN on April 23, 2026, that Damascus was continuing counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State, Hezbollah, and other groups. In a UN Security Council session on April 22, 2026, Olabi described these operations and discussed Israel’s continued activities in the country.

'We call for an end to Israel’s aggressive policies through compliance with international legitimacy and Security Council resolutions,' Olabi said.

Olabi also stated, according to a report at North Press Agency, that Damascus was preventing the use of Syrian territory to launch external attacks and strengthening the state’s sovereignty over all its territory. These statements come amid an Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that began on April 15, 2026, after a month and a half of clashes between Israel and Hezbollah.

After the fall of the Assad regime, Israel took over a buffer zone along the length of the 1974 Syria-Israel ceasefire line that runs near the Golan Heights, with the Israel Defense Forces carrying out operations near the buffer zone in Syrian villages over the last year and a half.

In a separate incident, Syrian and Iraqi authorities cooperated to intercept a smuggling operation, uncovering 500,000 Captagon pills and leading to the arrest of two suspects. The Rabia crossing, north of Mosul, reopened on April 20, 2026, after being closed for 12 years.

The Syrian government has begun to play a role at the Semalka crossing between eastern Syria and the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, which was previously administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Syrian President Ahmed al Sharaa arrived in the United Arab Emirates on April 22, 2026, for meetings as part of a larger Gulf tour to discuss regional issues and deepen ties. Syrian state media reported that Sharaa will meet with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani during the trip.

FDD reported these developments, including Sharaa's travel to the Gulf states for diplomatic support.