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Hezbollah's drone smuggling network involves the alleged transnational procurement and logistics of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) components by Hezbollah with support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). European authorities allege the network extends across several countries, including Spain, Germany, UK and France, and so far the investigation has led to multiple arrests and prosecutions. [1] [2]
Hezbollah is a Shia Islamist Lebanese political party and paramilitary group. [3] [4] Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council. [5] Its armed strength was assessed to be equivalent to that of a medium-sized army in 2016. [6] Hezbollah was founded in 1982 by Lebanese clerics in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. [7] Inspired by the Iranian Revolution of 1979, Hezbollah established strong ties with Iran. [8] While Hezbollah has been regarded as a resistance movement by some scholars, [9] [10] [11] the entire organization, or its military wing alone, has been designated as a terrorist group [12] by at least 27 countries, as of October 2020, including most Western countries. [13]
Following the 2023 Israel–Hezbollah conflict, prosecutions by European authorities indicated that Hezbollah began rebuilding and expanding its UAV capabilities with Iranian assistance and Hezbollah-linked operatives in Europe. [14] [1] [15]
In April 2024, Spain's Guardia Civil identified suspicious purchases of drone components by Lebanese nationals operating through front companies in Spain. The materials included guidance electronics and propellers, and authorities assessed that the seized components could have been used to assemble hundreds of UAVs, potentially for Hezbollah. [16] [2] [14] The alleged network operated across at least four European countries, with Spain as the main procurement hub. Arrests followed in Spain and Germany for purchasing drone components, in France in April 2025 on terrorism conspiracy charges, and in the UK the same month for charges of financing the operation. [14] [17] [2]
In Spain, a Lebanese national was arrested in Barcelona for an alleged central role in acquiring drone components through front companies. [1] Further arrests followed across Europe in April 2025, including additional suspects in Spain, France, and the UK on terrorism-related charges. [14] In November 2025, another individual went on trial in Germany, accused of supplying key drone components to Hezbollah, violating EU export controls, and aiding terrorist attacks, with prosecutors linking his network to Hezbollah's large drone arsenal and specific strikes. [18] In December 2025 UK police charged two with belonging to Hezbollah, and one was linked to facilitating the acquisition of drone parts. [19]
... the Jihad Council coordinates 'resistance activity'.Ghattas Saab, Antoine (15 May 2014). "Hezbollah cutting costs as Iranian aid dries up". The Daily Star. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
... Hezbollah's military wing ... Known as the 'Jihad Council'