European Hezbollah drone network dismantled
A wide-reaching logistics network supporting Hezbollah’s drone manufacturing efforts has been dismantled across Europe, according to a report by the French daily Le Figaro. The operation spanned Spain, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, with arrests taking place between mid-2024 and early April 2025.
The network was reportedly involved in purchasing large quantities of materials for building drones potentially capable of carrying explosives. Investigators found electronic guidance systems, gasoline and electric engines, propellers, and several tons of materials used to craft drone parts such as fuselages and wings. According to Le Figaro, the volume of components seized could have been used to manufacture up to a thousand drones.
Spanish authorities first detected suspicious purchases in Catalonia during the summer of 2024. These were allegedly made by individuals of Lebanese origin operating through local companies. The goods were intended for shipment to Lebanon, and investigators suspect similar components may have already been used in Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel.
On July 14, 2024, law enforcement agencies in Spain and Germany conducted coordinated raids. Three Lebanese nationals were arrested in Barcelona and Badalona, while a fourth suspect, Fadel Z., was apprehended in Salzgitter, Germany. The latter has reportedly been active in Hezbollah since at least 2016 and is believed to have acquired drone components in Germany since early 2024.
One suspect, identified as Firas A.H., remains in pre-trial detention in Spain. He is accused of procuring materials that could be transformed into weapons against civilian and military targets in Israel. Two others were released under judicial supervision.
The operation expanded further in 2025. On April 1, Spanish authorities made three additional arrests at the same Barcelona apartment raided the previous July. One of the suspects was charged with membership in a criminal organization, financing illicit activities, and forging documents.
In France, the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) arrested a suspect linked to the network. The French anti-terrorism prosecutor confirmed that the individual is facing charges related to preparing acts of terrorism.
In the UK, two men were arrested in early April by counter-terrorism police in north London. A 39-year-old suspect is accused of membership in a banned organization—Hezbollah has been classified as a terrorist group in the UK since 2019—and of preparing terrorist acts and financing terrorism. A second suspect, aged 35, faces similar charges. Both were released on bail pending further investigation.
The report notes that while the network was deeply embedded across Europe, its actions were directed at supporting Hezbollah operations abroad, with no evidence of imminent terrorist plots on European soil. Nonetheless, authorities stress the severe risk posed by such networks, particularly to Israeli civilians.
