The Lebanese Army announced on Tuesday, August 4, that it had seized 122-millimeter Grad rockets smuggled from Syrian territory into Lebanon during an operation conducted by a military unit in the barren highlands of Arsal.
In a statement published through its official channels, the army said the unit confiscated the rockets and a pickup truck used to transport them. It also arrested two Lebanese nationals suspected of belonging to a smuggling network. Raids conducted in search of the network’s remaining members led to the seizure of ammunition and military equipment.
The army added that the seized items were handed over to the relevant authorities. An investigation was opened under judicial supervision, while efforts to pursue the remaining suspects continued.
As the Lebanese Army announced the seizure of Grad rockets smuggled from Syria in the Arsal highlands, Syria’s Internal Security Forces said on Monday, August 3, that they had found several Grad rockets hidden in fields near al-Hara, in the Daraa countryside of southern Syria. The discovery followed a report from an agricultural landowner.
The Internal Security Forces said patrols went to the site immediately after receiving the report, secured the rockets, and took the necessary measures to protect residents. They did not disclose further details about the rockets’ source or the party that had hidden them.
Lebanese Army Detains 19 Syrians
In a separate statement, the Lebanese Army announced that security measures in several areas, including raids, patrols, and checkpoints, resulted in the arrest of 20 people. They included 18 Syrians who had entered Lebanese territory illegally in the Wadi Marhej and Ras Baalbek area.
The army also arrested a Syrian at the Douris checkpoint in Baalbek for traveling inside Lebanon without legal documents and found a quantity of drugs in his possession. Raids in the towns of al-Khader and Taalabaya also resulted in the seizure of weapons, military ammunition, and equipment linked to shooting cases.
Hussein Ahmed “Hayho” Arrested and Handed to Damascus
Meanwhile, Syria’s government-run al-Watan newspaper reported, citing Lebanese and Syrian media sources, that Lebanese authorities had arrested Syrian national Hussein Ahmed, known as “Hayho,” and handed him over to the Syrian authorities after a Syrian security delegation arrived in Lebanon.
According to the newspaper, Ahmed was arrested over videos published on social media that allegedly included insults and offensive remarks directed at symbols of the Syrian state. Neither the Lebanese nor the Syrian authorities issued an official statement confirming the handover or disclosing its details.
Syrian Arrested over Alleged Islamic State Membership
Lebanese security forces had also announced the arrest of a Syrian whom they said served as the “general security emir” of the Islamic State group’s so-called southern and central provinces in Syria.
The Lebanese Internal Security Forces’ Public Relations Division said on Monday, July 13, that the arrest took place on June 30. It said the Information Branch carried out the operation as part of preemptive security measures targeting individuals affiliated with organizations designated as terrorist groups, following surveillance and monitoring operations.
The statement did not disclose the detainee’s name, identifying him only by the initials “H.R.” It said he was born in 1994 and holds Syrian citizenship.