NewsTerrorism

The Spanish Civil Guard and German authorities dismantle one of Hezbollah’s drone logistics structures operating in Europe

The operation, carried out jointly by the Information Service of the Civil Guard, the German Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) and the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV), under the direction in Spain of the Central Investigation Court No. 1, the Central Investigation Court No. 4 acting as Guard and the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court, has ended with the arrest of three people in Spain and one in Germany, who made up Hezbollah’s logistical structure in charge of obtaining the essential components for the manufacture of kamikaze drones, also known as UAVs (Unmanned Air Vehicles). The investigation began in Spain when the Civil Guard detected suspicious transactions by Spanish companies run by citizens of Lebanese origin involving large quantities of materials and components suitable for the construction of military-type unmanned aircraft capable of carrying explosive loads weighing several kilograms.

The detection of the transfer of one of these persons to Germany led to the activation of international cooperation mechanisms, which allowed the German authorities to investigate the ramifications in that country of the aforementioned structure established in Spain, as well as to proceed with the arrest of said person within the framework of the joint and simultaneous action carried out in Spain. The investigation has allowed to prove the acquisition from different companies, located both in Spain and in other European countries and the rest of the world, of a large quantity of material, among which stand out electronic guidance components, propulsion propellers, bearings, dozens of gasoline engines, more than two hundred electric motors, as well as more than twelve tons of resins and hardening substances, key to forming the fuselage, wings and moving parts of UAVs.

Although there is no certain data on the total number of UAVs that Hezbollah could have built with the components acquired by the logistics structure dismantled in Europe, based on the analysis of the seized documentation, it is estimated that there could have been several hundred, even exceeding the figure of a thousand drones. Over the past few months, Hezbollah has carried out numerous attacks on Israel using UAVs, with parts such as those acquired by the neutralized structure having been detected among the remains of drones that have impacted on Israeli territory. The threat posed by these unmanned aircraft, which can carry several kilograms of explosives, is very high, since their small size, low flight profile and the orography itself make their early detection and neutralization difficult. Similarly, coordinated actions in Spain and Germany have prevented the imminent shipment of more batches of critical material to Hezbollah. It is worth noting that dozens of essential items have been intercepted, thus preventing the production of an identical number of kamikaze drones.