The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday that it had foiled what it described as a “terrorist plot” in the Mezzeh area of Damascus and arrested the remaining members of a cell accused of preparing attacks aimed at destabilizing populated areas.

In a statement, the ministry said that as part of ongoing security operations in the Damascus countryside — and in coordination with the General Intelligence Agency — units carried out a “meticulous” operation that resulted in the dismantling of a cell allegedly involved in attacks targeting Mezzeh and its military airport.


The ministry said security forces arrested the remaining members while they were attempting to set up Grad rocket launchers, in preparation for targeting populated areas.


It said the operation was carried out under a “well-planned security strategy,” leading to the arrest of all suspects and the seizure of the launchers before they were used, describing it as evidence of the security apparatus’s “high level of preparedness and preemptive capability.”

The ministry added that preliminary investigations found the suspects confessed to taking part in planning additional attacks and coordinating externally with “terrorist entities,” which authorities said they were able to uncover and thwart before execution.

It said all seized items were confiscated and the detainees were referred to the competent authorities to complete investigations and pursue legal measures.

The ministry also referred to an earlier announcement on Feb. 1, when security units in the Damascus countryside and the General Intelligence Agency said they had carried out a series of operations against a cell accused of conducting multiple attacks on Mezzeh and its military airport, resulting in its complete dismantling and the arrest of all members.

At the time, authorities said initial investigations suggested the cell was linked to external entities, and claimed that the rockets, launch platforms and seized drones used in the attacks originated from Hezbollah. They also said the suspects admitted to preparing new drone attacks, but were arrested before the plan was carried out.