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Kuwait's state security apparatus has foiled what authorities describe as a major terrorist plot, dismantling a cell linked to Hezbollah that was planning assassination operations targeting senior state figures and national leaders, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday.
The ministry said in its 16th official communique that five Kuwaiti citizens and one individual whose citizenship had been revoked were arrested following what it called precise surveillance and monitoring operations. An additional 14 suspects remain at large outside the country, including five Kuwaiti nationals, five others with revoked citizenship, two Iranian nationals, and two Lebanese nationals.
According to the ministry, the detained suspects admitted to espionage and membership in what Kuwait designates a banned terrorist organization. They also acknowledged their readiness to carry out assignments targeting state leaders and to act against Kuwait's national interests.
The suspects received advanced military training abroad under the direction of the organization's operatives and commanders, the ministry said, including instruction in the use of weapons and explosives, surveillance techniques, and assassination methods. The cell was also engaged in recruiting individuals to carry out these operations.
The ministry characterized the activities as a grave act of treason, describing them as a serious criminal undertaking and "a great betrayal of the homeland," given that the plot involved directly targeting the security, symbols, and leadership of the state.
All detained suspects have been referred to the public prosecution for legal proceedings, while security agencies continue their investigations to pursue anyone found to be connected to or cooperating with the cell or any other terrorist organizations.
The Interior Ministry stressed that Kuwait's security, sovereignty, and national stability represent "a fixed line that accepts no compromise or leniency." It warned that security forces will confront anyone who attempts to undermine the country's security or collaborate with terrorist organizations, pledging to take the maximum legal measures against anyone found to be involved, without exception.
Kuwait has a history of confronting Hezbollah-linked networks on its soil. The Iran-backed Lebanese militant and political organization has long maintained operatives across the Gulf region, and Kuwait has previously expelled diplomats and prosecuted cells tied to the group. In 2015, Kuwaiti authorities dismantled a large weapons cache linked to Hezbollah, and several Gulf states, including Kuwait, have designated the organization's military wing, or the group in its entirety, as a terrorist entity.
Hezbollah, which was founded in the early 1980s during Lebanon's civil war with Iranian support, operates both as a political party in Lebanon and as a heavily armed militia. Gulf Cooperation Council states have broadly viewed the group as an instrument of Iranian influence in the region and a direct threat to their internal security.
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