Syrian General to TML: Security Forces Dismantle Hezbollah Missile Cell Near Damascus, Seizing 19 Grad Rockets
Officials report arrests after a monitored operation in Sa’sa’ and Kanaker as units seize a rocket cache and probe possible cross-border links
[Damascus] Syrian security forces say they have dismantled a Hezbollah “missile cell” operating in the western Rif Dimashq (Damascus Countryside) towns of Sa’sa’ and Kanaker, arresting all suspects and seizing rockets and launch gear after a monitored operation earlier this week.
Encircling—but not including—the capital, the Rif Dimashq Governorate sits astride corridors that link Lebanon’s Qalamoun range to the Damascus periphery, a geography that has made the province a recurring focus of raids and interdictions. Authorities say the latest sweep is part of a broader effort to disrupt cross-border supply lines.
In a recent interview, Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Dalati, commander of the Internal Security Forces in the province, told The Media Line the raids followed “close monitoring and intensive fieldwork” in coordination with specialized units and the General Intelligence Directorate. The operation culminated in simultaneous arrests at multiple locations, he said.
According to al-Dalati, preliminary questioning indicates the suspects received advanced military training “in camps inside Lebanon” and were planning operations in Syria that would threaten public safety and deepen instability. He did not specify intended targets or timing.
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Al-Dalati said the security forces recovered a cache of weapons during the raids, including 19 Grad rockets, several launch frames/rocket launch pads, an unspecified number of anti-tank missiles, small arms, and a large quantity of mixed-caliber ammunition.
Findings from the probe, al-Dalati said, suggest groups linked to Hezbollah are still attempting to stoke tension and unrest despite recent changes on the battlefield and in regional politics.
Hezbollah has fought in Syria since 2013 in support of the Bashar Assad regime, playing a key role in battles such as al-Qusayr and along the Qalamoun front. The US designates Hezbollah a foreign terrorist organization; some governments draw a distinction between its political and military wings.
Officials and state-aligned commentators have framed the arrests as evidence of a broader turning point—citing claims of a “major collapse” inside Hezbollah after the killing of its leader, Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and the fall of its major regional backer, the Assad regime.
Security sources argue the arrests could signal a new phase in efforts to disrupt cross-border networks, while outside experts cautioned that any shift will depend on sustained interdictions, prosecutorial follow-through, and whether the alleged cell is part of a larger structure.
As Hezbollah’s influence wanes and its ability to impose its agenda through arms diminishes, the region appears to be heading toward a new balance of power—one in which domestic dynamics will play a more decisive role than external interventions.
