{
  "id": 10912156,
  "title": "Syria arrests Hezbollah-linked cell and seizes rocket launchers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/syria-arrests-hezbollah-linked-cell-and-seizes-rocket-launchers",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T09:55:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/09/30/syria-arrests-hezbollah-linked-cell-and-seizes-rocket-launchers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Syrian security forces have apprehended a trio linked to Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group, and seized rocket launchers from their possession in the Yarmouk river basin, located in the southern part of the country near the occupied Golan Heights. The region has witnessed a surge in Israeli incursions this year, with Israeli forces crossing into southern Syria and areas west of Damascus, temporarily occupying parts of these territories, following the ousting of the Assad regime by militant forces in December 2024.\n\nThe three individuals were allegedly orchestrating a Hezbollah \"sabotage plot\" within the Yarmouk river basin, according to the official Syrian news agency Sana. The agency reported that the launchers had been thoroughly dismantled. The operation was described as a result of meticulous surveillance, aimed at preventing the cell from assembling rocket launchers and carrying out attacks, although the intended targets were not specified.\n\nThe General Intelligence Directorate released photographs showcasing Syrian security forces removing the seized weapons, describing it as a preemptive operation that effectively thwarted a plot allegedly backed by Iran's Hezbollah. Historically, Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian groups had established their proxies on the Syrian-controlled side of the Yarmouk river basin during the tenure of the previous president, Bashar Al Assad. Following the outbreak of the 2023 Gaza war, this basin transformed into a launch pad for Iranian-supplied rockets targeted at Israeli troops in the Golan Heights.\n\nHowever, the Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Syria significantly weakened Hezbollah, leading to the group's withdrawal of most of its forces from Syria by the end of 2024, which contributed to the fall of the Assad regime. Last month, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz announced that the Israeli army has been conducting \"daily activity\" in the area to counter threats, eliminate remnants of the previous regime, prevent the consolidation of the new regime, and safeguard Israeli communities and the border.\n\nThe United States, which supports Syria's current authorities, has facilitated several meetings between Israeli and Syrian officials to negotiate a peace agreement between the two nations. These discussions focused on ceasing Israeli attacks on Syria and the return of Israeli forces to a 1974 armistice line adjacent to the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Israel has controlled for nearly six decades.",
  "summary": "Syrian security forces have arrested a three-man cell linked to the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and dismantled rocket launchers in their possession in the southern Yarmouk river basin. The area near the occupied Golan Heights has been the scene of an increasing number of Israeli incursions this year. Israeli troops crossed into southern Syria and areas west of Damascus, and occupied parts of…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Syria arrests Hezbollah-linked cell and seizes rocket launchers",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/syria-arrests-hezbollah-linked-cell-and-seizes-rocket-launchers-10914611",
        "published": "2026-09-30T09:55:18.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}