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Syria Says Foiled Cross-Border Attack by Assad Remnants, Hezbollah

Syrian soldiers inspect a tunnel on the Lebanon border in the Qusayr area. (AFP)
Syrian soldiers inspect a tunnel on the Lebanon border in the Qusayr area. (AFP)
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Syria Says Foiled Cross-Border Attack by Assad Remnants, Hezbollah

Syrian soldiers inspect a tunnel on the Lebanon border in the Qusayr area. (AFP)
Syrian soldiers inspect a tunnel on the Lebanon border in the Qusayr area. (AFP)

Syria's interior ministry said Sunday that security forces thwarted an alleged cross-border attack from the country's territory planned by remnants of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad and cells linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah. 

From March 2 until a 10-day ceasefire went into force on April 17, Hezbollah was battling Israel after drawing Lebanon into the Middle East war with rocket fire aimed at Israel in support of Tehran. 

In a statement, the interior ministry said security forces "arrested members of a sabotage cell" linked to Hezbollah and Assad remnants. 

The ministry said the cell "was working to carry out an attack from inside Syrian territory on targets outside the borders" from Quneitra province, which borders Israel. 

Syria's official SANA news agency, quoting an interior ministry source, said Hezbollah "intended to launch missiles across the border with the aim of destabilizing the country". 

Syrian authorities are hostile to Hezbollah as the group played a key role in Syria's civil war that ended in 2024, fighting alongside the forces of now ousted leader Bashar al-Assad. 

The ministry said the Quneitra incident was the latest among "several attempts to destabilize the country and undermine public security" involving remnants of the former regime and unscrupulous individuals linked to Hezbollah". 

Last week, Damascus accused Hezbollah of being linked to a cell that attempted to plant an explosive device in front of a house belonging to an unidentified religious figure in the Bab Tuma area of the Syrian capital. 

But the group denied the ministry's claims last week, saying they were "false and fabricated". 

Hezbollah said it has "no activity, no ties and no relationship with any party in Syria, and has no presence on Syrian soil". 

The group called on Syrian authorities "to conduct a thorough investigation before making accusations without evidence". 

It blamed "the presence of intelligence services" on Syrian soil that it said were "seeking to inflame tensions between Lebanon and Syria". 

In February, Syria said it had dismantled a cell responsible for recent attacks targeting Damascus's Mazzeh district, claiming the weapons came from Hezbollah, which denied any involvement. 

Under Assad, Syria was part of Iran's "axis of resistance" against Israel and enabled the transfer of weapons and money from Iran to Hezbollah. 

But since taking over, Syria's new authorities have rejected Iranian influence. 

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Arab World

Yemen Offensive Intensifies as Military Reports 2,750 Strikes in 24 Hours

Soldiers from Yemen’s pro-government Giants Brigades during their campaign against the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab (AP). 
Soldiers from Yemen’s pro-government Giants Brigades during their campaign against the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab (AP). 
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Yemen Offensive Intensifies as Military Reports 2,750 Strikes in 24 Hours

Soldiers from Yemen’s pro-government Giants Brigades during their campaign against the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab (AP). 
Soldiers from Yemen’s pro-government Giants Brigades during their campaign against the Houthis near Bab al-Mandab (AP). 

Yemeni government forces pressed their offensive against the Houthis on Saturday, advancing along the western coast and in Marib as the military reported more than 2,750 precision targeting operations in 24 hours.

The sixth day of Operation Dawn of Yemen saw intensified airstrikes on Houthi positions and weapons facilities, while troops sought to eliminate remaining pockets of resistance around the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait.

The Southern Giants Brigades repelled a Houthi attack north of Dhubab airport, inflicting casualties and equipment losses on the group’s fighters, according to military reports.

Warplanes from the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen also struck reinforcements dispatched by the Houthis to strengthen their positions and support fighters trapped in the area.

The clashes followed a major operation aimed at recapturing the remaining parts of Bab al-Mandab and its islands, where hundreds of Houthi fighters were believed to be holding out in scattered pockets behind minefields and trenches.

Military units continued clearing operations and dismantling fortifications, seeking to consolidate control over recaptured territory while preventing the group from breaking the encirclement of its fighters.

Strikes deep inside Houthi territory

Yemen’s military announced that it had conducted more than 2,750 precision targeting operations over the previous 24 hours, hitting fortifications, defensive positions, observation and reconnaissance posts, artillery positions, weapons and ammunition depots, supply warehouses and military reinforcements across multiple fronts.

Armed forces spokesperson Col. Majed al-Nuzaili reported that the campaign also struck what he described as legitimate, high-value military targets deep inside Houthi-controlled territory.

Preliminary battlefield assessments indicated that more than 1,400 Houthi fighters had been neutralized and over 250 combat vehicles and other pieces of military equipment destroyed or disabled, he added.

According to Nuzaili, the losses had weakened the group’s ability to maneuver, provide battlefield support and sustain combat operations.

He also reported that ground forces had breached Houthi defenses, recaptured strategically important elevated positions and consolidated their gains while continuing the offensive according to established military plans.

Separately, the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced the destruction of 136 military targets in a large-scale operation against Houthi fighters and military capabilities in areas under the group’s control.

Coalition spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki said the campaign aimed to dismantle and destroy the Houthis’ ballistic missile network, reaffirming that coalition aircraft would continue providing round-the-clock support to Yemeni military units.

Heavy fighting in Marib

In Marib province, east of Sanaa, government forces and Popular Resistance fighters maintained operations along the front lines, launching attacks on Houthi positions in the southern sectors.

The forces captured several positions after breaching fortifications and clearing minefields planted by the group.

The Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center reported Houthi casualties and equipment losses as government troops pressed their offensive on the northern and northwestern fronts. Surveillance and reconnaissance operations also continued to monitor Houthi movements and reinforcements.

According to the center, manned and unmanned aircraft, artillery and rocket launchers targeted Houthi positions, troop concentrations, command centers, weapons depots, firing positions and drone operating sites along the front lines and in areas under the group’s control.

The center reported that dozens of Houthi fighters had been killed or wounded in the clashes.

It also confirmed the deaths of 22 members of the armed forces and Popular Resistance, with others wounded.

Battle to restore state authority

Against the backdrop of the fighting, Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council member Abdulrahman al-Mahrami praised government forces for their resilience and battlefield performance.

He described the clashes as part of a broader struggle to restore the state and its institutions and confront what he called the Iran-backed Houthi project.

In a Facebook post addressing troops stationed along the western coast, in Bab al-Mandab and on other fronts, Mahrami urged them to maintain their resolve until the campaign achieved its objectives.

He also commended their role in confronting the Houthis and protecting regional security.

Mahrami also renewed his appreciation for the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy, stressing that Yemeni forces and their coalition partners were fighting a common battle and sharing its burdens and sacrifices.

Arab World

UN Yemen Envoy: Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Threaten Regional Security

UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg (United Nations)
UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg (United Nations)
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UN Yemen Envoy: Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Threaten Regional Security

UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg (United Nations)
UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg (United Nations)

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said Sunday that the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia are a dangerous escalation that pose a grave threat to regional security, prolong the cycle of violence and further complicate peace efforts in Yemen.

He denounced the group’s continued attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, including Saturday’s attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, that killed 12 people and wounded 309 others.

The UN envoy said the attack followed strikes on Riyadh and Abha airports earlier this week that also caused civilian deaths and injuries.

In a statement, Grundberg called on the Houthis to halt the attacks and renewed his call for respect for international humanitarian law, including the ban on attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure.

 

Arab World

Judicial Source: Lebanon Arrests 2 Suspected Hezbollah Members over Explosives

This photograph taken during a media tour organized by Hezbollah shows a flag of Hezbollah installed on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
This photograph taken during a media tour organized by Hezbollah shows a flag of Hezbollah installed on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
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Judicial Source: Lebanon Arrests 2 Suspected Hezbollah Members over Explosives

This photograph taken during a media tour organized by Hezbollah shows a flag of Hezbollah installed on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
This photograph taken during a media tour organized by Hezbollah shows a flag of Hezbollah installed on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)

Lebanese authorities arrested two suspected Hezbollah members accused of secretly transporting half-a-ton of explosives, a judicial source told AFP on Saturday.

According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the two men were caught Thursday afternoon at a security checkpoint in Dahr al-Baidar in Lebanon's east, near a road linking the country with Syria.

They were in a car heading towards Beirut.

After searching the vehicle, security forces seized "250 kilograms of TNT-type explosives and 250 kilograms of C4-type, a highly explosive substance,” the source said.

Based on initial investigations, one of the suspects is the son of a Hezbollah official and the other is also a member of the group, according to the source.

The explosives' destination remains unknown, the source added.

Lebanese authorities have not confirmed the source's information.

But Justice Minister Adel Nassar vowed on X Saturday that "the investigation into the seized explosives, and everything that follows from it, will continue to the very end.”

He insisted that work toward "disarming illegal groups, combating terrorism and prosecuting all outlaws is... irreversible and speeding up.”

Lebanon approved a plan to disarm Hezbollah in 2025, following a ceasefire the previous November that ended a devastating war between the group and Israel.

However, the conflict flared back to life in March this year when Hezbollah attacked Israel in support of Iran in the Middle East war.

Israel invaded in response and now occupies a band of territory in Lebanon's south.

A new ceasefire was struck in June, and Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a framework deal that involves Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region.