Syrian security forces say they have arrested two men over an alleged plan to attack the Homs oil refinery in central Syria. The authorities claim the suspects were linked to the Lebanese armed and political group Hezbollah, which denies any connection to the alleged plot.
In their announcement on 3 November, the authorities said Syria’s General Intelligence Service and Internal Security Forces had acted together. Security officials said they had seized what they described as explosive devices prepared for an attack on the refinery. They did not give the date or place of the arrests, or say when the alleged plan was uncovered.
Hezbollah said it had no presence or ties in Syrian territory and was not involved in activity undermining Syria’s security and stability. Its denial is the group’s position, not proof of the circumstances. The authorities’ account is not independent proof of either the alleged plan or the claimed link to Hezbollah. An arrest is not a finding of guilt.
On 1 November, a Syrian intelligence official had also said a plot against the Homs refinery had been foiled. That earlier announcement did not name a group or say whether anyone had been arrested. The later statement added claims about arrests and an alleged Hezbollah link. It is not known whether the two announcements described the same alleged plot.
Why the refinery matters
The Homs facility and the Baniyas refinery on the coast are Syria’s two main oil refineries. They have supplied petroleum products for the domestic market, including diesel, fuel oil and kerosene. The Homs refinery is an important part of the country’s energy infrastructure.
In October, the Homs plant underwent maintenance on one of its atmospheric distillation units, an installation used in the early stages of processing crude oil. The unit’s stated design capacity is one million tonnes of crude a year. That figure describes the design of the particular unit, not the refinery’s actual output or its total capacity.
Energy infrastructure in the area has faced other disruptions. On 15 October, the Syrian Petroleum Company said a pipeline running from Baniyas to Homs had been punctured west of Homs. The company said the affected section was isolated and repair work began. There is no known link between that pipeline incident and the alleged refinery plot.
A history of disputed accusations
Syrian officials have previously accused Hezbollah of involvement in security plots, allegations the group has rejected. In late September, authorities said three men had been arrested in southern Syria’s Daraa province over an alleged plan involving rocket launchers. Hezbollah denied any link to those detained.
The Daraa allegations concerned a different location and different alleged activity. They do not establish the claims now being made about Homs.
Hezbollah fought alongside the forces of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad during the country’s civil war. Assad was overthrown in December 2024, and relations between the group and the authorities now governing Damascus have since deteriorated.
Talks with Lebanon
The security announcement followed a visit to Damascus on 2 November by a Lebanese ministerial delegation. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met the group, which was led by Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri and included Labour Minister Mohammad Haidar, a Hezbollah member.
Syrian officials said the meeting covered border security and closer cooperation on education, labour and social affairs. They also discussed strengthening security coordination and the work of joint technical committees. The countries had held earlier talks in May on economic affairs, transport and energy.
The timing of the visit does not by itself show a connection between the discussions and the alleged refinery plot. The circumstances of the alleged operation, and what evidence investigators may hold, remain unclear.
