UAE Breaks Up Iran-Backed Terror Cell, Makes Arrests

The United Arab Emirates announced Friday it has successfully taken down a terrorist organization financed and directed by Iran and Hezbollah. Officials say the group was conducting money laundering operations and posed threats to national security while operating under fake business fronts.

Officials in the United Arab Emirates announced Friday they have successfully broken up what they describe as a terrorist organization backed financially and operationally by Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, leading to multiple arrests.

The state news agency reported the dismantled organization was engaged in “money laundering, financing terrorism and threatening national security.”

Neither Hezbollah nor Iranian officials have responded to the allegations at this time.

This development comes amid escalating tensions following the U.S.-Israeli military conflict with Iran that began in late February, during which Tehran has conducted extensive missile and drone strikes throughout the Gulf region, with the UAE facing particularly heavy targeting.

UAE officials report their nation has endured hundreds of attacks, with strikes damaging oil infrastructure, port facilities, and locations close to major population centers.

The Emirates has historically maintained opposition to political Islamist organizations. Hezbollah, supported by Iran, joined the broader conflict on March 2 by launching attacks against Israel from Lebanese territory, which prompted Israel to respond with widespread aerial bombardments targeting Hezbollah positions throughout Lebanon.

According to the UAE’s state news agency, “The network had been operating within the country under a fictitious commercial cover and sought to infiltrate the national economy and carry out external schemes threatening the country’s financial stability.”