Key Points
- Lebanese authorities dismantled a cross-border smuggling and training network involving Hezbollah and former Syrian regime elements.
- Five suspects were arrested; the network was run by a former Syrian colonel and a former commander managed from Moscow.
- Seized weapons and statements indicate plans for political assassinations and chaos on the Lebanese and Syrian coasts.
- A State Security officer, serving as a Christian MP's bodyguard, was arrested while involved in arms smuggling.
By the Numbers
Lebanese security forces dismantled a joint smuggling and training network comprising Hezbollah cadres and remnants of the former Syrian regime. Five suspects (three Syrians, two Lebanese) were arrested; the network smuggled Syrian fighters into Lebanon via the northern border and transported them from southern Beirut to a training camp in the Baalbek-Hermel area of the Beqaa Valley.
The network was headed by former Syrian security Colonel Manaf Ali Safi and former "Desert Brigade" commander Muhammad Jabir, who operated from Moscow. The detainees confessed to receiving intensive military training under Hezbollah's "Hajj Ala" code-named official responsibility. Hand grenades, machine guns, sniper rifles, and explosive materials were also seized.
The investigation revealed that a Lebanese State Security officer, who served as the bodyguard of a prominent Christian MP bloc leader, played a role in arms smuggling via the border town of Talbira in Akkar. Hezbollah categorically denied any link to the network. Authorities continue investigating dormant cells and financing channels.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What was the network's purpose?
- To smuggle Syrian fighters into Lebanon and train them in Baalbek-Hermel; officially to fight Syrian government forces but actually planning political assassinations and chaos.
- Who were arrested?
- Former Syrian Colonel Manaf Ali Safi, three Syrians and two Lebanese, and a State Security officer (Christian MP's bodyguard).
- How did Hezbollah respond?
- Hezbollah categorically denied any connection to the network, labeling the allegations baseless and aimed at tarnishing its image.
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