Syria Foils Hezbollah-Linked Plot Against Homs Refinery
Syria’s intelligence service foils a Hezbollah-linked plot to attack the Homs oil refinery, with arrests and seized explosives.
2 min read
Syria’s General Intelligence Service announced on November 3 that it had foiled a Hezbollah-linked cell’s plot to attack the Homs oil refinery, one of the country’s two refineries. In a statement on X, the service said the “preemptive security operation,” conducted with the Internal Security Forces, led to the arrest of two suspects, identified only by the initials M.S. and B.Sh. Authorities also seized explosive devices prepared for the attack. The statement did not specify when or where the arrests took place.
Context of the Refinery and Attacks
The Homs refinery, established in 1959, and the coastal Baniyas refinery supply petroleum products to Syria’s domestic market. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the Homs facility has four atmospheric distillation units, two of which are undergoing maintenance and commissioning. Once all four are operating, the refinery is expected to produce 60,000 to 70,000 barrels of petroleum products per day.
The plot follows other incidents at Syrian energy facilities this fall. On September 30, the Syrian Electricity Company said a gas pipeline explosion at the Tishreen station in rural Damascus took the Deir Ali, Nasiriya and Tishreen power stations offline. On October 15, the Syrian Petroleum Company reported damage to the Baniyas–Homs pipeline near Hadida, a village in western Homs province, that caused a fuel leak. State media described the incident as part of a series of attacks on energy infrastructure.
Hezbollah Denies Involvement
Hezbollah issued a statement on November 3 denying any connection to the plot. The group said it “has no presence or affiliations on Syrian territory,” categorically denied any link to the detainees and urged Syrian authorities to watch for attempts to “stir up tension and sow discord” between Lebanon and Syria.
Hezbollah also denied involvement in a similar incident in July, after Syrian customs officers at the al-Tanf crossing with Iraq found long-range missiles, rockets and drones hidden in an oil tanker truck that authorities said was bound for the group. Hezbollah dismissed the accusation as “fabricated narratives” with no basis in fact.
Regional Security Concerns
The Nov. 3 announcement came a day after Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met in Damascus with a Lebanese government delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri to discuss border security and control. The delegation included Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar, the first Hezbollah-nominated minister to visit Syria since Assad’s fall. Haidar described his attendance as “ministerial work that has nothing to do with any partisan background.”
Hezbollah fought alongside Assad’s forces during the civil war, and its relations with Damascus have deteriorated since his overthrow in December 2024. Syrian authorities have since reported a series of cases involving alleged Hezbollah links.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
