MADRID: Police in Spain have detained four suspects, three in Spain and one in Germany, as part of an investigation into the sale of drone parts to Hezbollah, authorities confirmed on Thursday.
The investigation was launched in Spain after authorities identified Spanish companies owned by individuals of Lebanese descent engaged in significant trade of components for military drones capable of carrying explosives.
According to Spanish police, an examination of trade documents within Europe indicated that Hezbollah could have assembled several hundred or even up to a thousand drones using these parts.
These lightweight aircraft are difficult to detect and can carry explosives weighing several kilograms, often deployed towards Israel, the police noted.
The statement from Spanish authorities highlighted that components seized in Spain and Germany correspond to drone remains previously recovered in Israel, linked to Hezbollah operations.
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated following Hezbollah’s announcement of a “support front” with Palestinians, after Israel imposed a war on Gaza in October last year.
The recent conflict in Lebanon has resulted in over 100 civilian casualties and the deaths of more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, alongside widespread destruction in border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, according to a Reuters tally.
