ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Syria on Tuesday identified an allegedly Hezbollah-linked cell as those behind a plot to attack the Homs oil refinery that was foiled in the preceding days, noting that explosive materials were seized from the suspects.

Information regarding the suspected attack was first revealed on Sunday, when Syrian state media, citing a source in the country's General Intelligence Directorate (GID), reported that a terror plot on the refinery had been thwarted, though the identity of the alleged perpetrators was not declared.

However, the Syrian interior ministry on Tuesday declared that "the plot was orchestrated by a cell affiliated with the Hezbollah militia," adding that a joint operation between the GID and internal security forces "resulted in the arrest of the cell members involved and the seizure of explosive devices in their possession, which were intended for use in targeting the refinery."

The Homs oil refinery serves as a crucial component of Syria's energy infrastructure, being described by state media as a facility that "plays a crucial role in securing petroleum derivatives for the domestic market."

Before the ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, Syria served as a crucial land corridor that allowed Hezbollah, a Lebanese paramilitary group and political party, to receive arms and other supplies from its primary external backer, Iran.

Hezbollah fighters were deployed in Syria at the behest of the Assad regime during the country's civil war, where they fought against myriad rebel groups, including Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by current Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who ultimately toppled the Iran-backed government in an unprecedented offensive and assumed power.

Since Sharaa's ascension to power, Damascus has announced several operations targeting Hezbollah affiliates within Syria, such as a July operation that saw a large weapons shipment allegedly destined for the Lebanese group intercepted at the Iraqi border, as well as the arrest of three individuals accused of seeking to establish a rocket-launching site to target Israel from southern Syria's Daraa province.

US President Donald Trump repeatedly spoken of the prospect of using Syrian military forces to disarm Hezbollah amid a Lebanese push to restrict weapons to the hands of the state, saying in June that Sharaa is "no boy scout" and "does not like them," though Damascus distanced itself from the proposal.