Four arrested in Europe in investigation into sale of drone parts to Hezbollah

Police in Spain and Germany have detained four suspects as part of an investigation into the sale of drone parts to Hezbollah for use in attacks in northern Israel.

The investigation was initiated in Spain, where police officers detected “suspicious operations” among Spanish companies owned by Lebanese citizens that were trading in large quantities of materials and components for military drones able to carry explosive charges of several kilograms, the police said.

The Spanish companies purchased items including electronic guidance components, propulsion propellers, gasoline engines, more than 200 electric motors and materials for the fuselage, wings and other drone parts, according to investigators.

Authorities believe Hezbollah may have built several hundred or as many as 1,000 drones with the components.

Three of the suspects, who are reportedly Lebanese, were arrested in Spain. A fourth person, who prosecutors confirmed is Lebanese, was detained in Germany.

The light aircraft, which are hard to detect and stop, are loaded with explosives weighing several kilograms and sent into Israel, the police said.

The remains of drones flown by Hezbollah and found in Israel match the type of components seized by the police in Spain and Germany, their statement said.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire since Hezbollah announced a “support front” with Palestinians shortly after its ally, Hamas, attacked southern Israeli border communities on October 7, triggering Israel's military offensive in Gaza.

Since then, the cross-border violence has killed 512 people in Lebanon, mostly fighters, according to an AFP tally, but also including at least 104 civilians, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 17 soldiers and 13 civilians have been killed, according to authorities.

The exchanges of fire, mostly between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, have largely been restricted to the Lebanon-Israel border area, although Israel has repeatedly struck deeper inside Lebanese territory.

On Thursday, at least two people, including a commander in the Fajr Forces, the military wing of the Islamic Group in Lebanon, were killed in Israeli strikes on the country.

Muhammad Hamid Jabara, from Qaraoun, was killed in the strike on his pick-up truck as he drove through the town of Ghazzeh, in the western Bekaa region, the group said.

Israel also launched drone attacks on two other sites on Thursday morning, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.