Syria arrests two men over alleged Hezbollah plot on Homs refinery
Damascus claims explosives were seized in a surveillance operation, a move Beirut denies and which coincides with a high-level Lebanese delegation visit.
By Tomas Rahman ·
Syrian security forces arrested two men on Tuesday, alleging they plotted to attack the Homs oil refinery in central Syria. Authorities stated that explosives and equipment intended for the operation were seized during the raid.
The announcement followed a Sunday report from Syria's General Intelligence Directorate that a plot against the refinery had been thwarted. On Tuesday, the Internal Security Forces identified the suspects by the initials M.S. and B.Sh. and claimed the pair were linked to Lebanon's Hezbollah.
The timing of the disclosure drew immediate attention. A Lebanese ministerial delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri arrived in Damascus on Monday to discuss refugees, border management, and security coordination. The group included Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar, who was nominated for his post by Hezbollah.
Hezbollah's media relations office issued a statement rejecting the allegations. The group stated it maintained no organizational or operational presence in Syria and was not engaged in activities that threatened the country's stability.
Sheikh Issa Khair al-Din, a Lebanese cleric and activist from the Beqaa Valley, told The Media Line that the alleged plot fits a wider strategy by Iran. He argued that Tehran seeks to pressure global energy markets to demonstrate the economic cost of a military confrontation. Khair al-Din suggested that disrupting oil routes through Syria serves Iranian interests, particularly as projects to transport Iraqi oil across Syrian territory advance.
He noted that no independent evidence has yet confirmed Iran directed the specific attack on the Homs facility. Khair al-Din described the timing of the arrest as potentially serving to distract from Hezbollah's role, though he acknowledged no public data directly links the security plot to the delegation's visit.
The Homs refinery is one of Syria's primary facilities for producing petroleum products. The site completed maintenance and rehabilitation work in October to support domestic output. Syrian officials have not released detailed judicial findings or independent evidence to substantiate the connection between the detainees and Hezbollah as the two governments continue to negotiate security frameworks following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024.
