Syria arrests group behind Mezzeh airport attacks, weapons traced to Hezbollah

DAMASCUS, Feb 1 (Reuters) – Syria said on Sunday it had detained a group behind recent rocket attacks on the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus, with investigators tracing the weapons to Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The interior ministry said security units arrested all members of the group, which it said had carried out several strikes on the airport in recent months, after surveillance of suspected launch sites in several areas of the capital.

The weapons used in the attacks originated from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an ally of former President Bashar al-Assad that once had a large military presence across Syria supporting Assad’s army, the ministry said.

Hezbollah denied the allegations and said it had no activity or ties with any group inside Syria.

Authorities said they also seized a number of drones the group was preparing to use in further operations.

The ministry said only that the detainees had links to unidentified “foreign entities,” without mentioning Hezbollah or Iran.

Reuters reported in November that Washington was planning to establish a military presence at an airbase in Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering between Syria and Israel. The government denied the report.

Security sources say Hezbollah left behind weapons stockpiles, including drones, in parts of Syria after withdrawing its forces following the collapse of Assad’s rule.

(Writing by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)