The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said on March 25 2026 that security forces had foiled a Hezbollah-linked terror plot targeting state leaders by dismantling a cell of six people five of them Kuwaiti citizens. Fourteen others are still at large including two Iranians and two Lebanese the ministry reported. The arrestees confessed to espionage and receiving advanced military training from the banned group.
The ministry’s announcement followed precise surveillance and monitoring operations by the State Security Agency that uncovered the network’s plans for assassination operations against state symbols and leaders. Authorities said the cell also sought to recruit additional individuals to carry out these tasks. The six who were detained include one non-Kuwaiti whose citizenship had been revoked while the 14 fugitives consist of five citizens five non-Kuwaitis with revoked citizenship two Iranians and two Lebanese according to the ministry’s tally which adds up precisely to the total figures disclosed.
All arrested individuals have been referred to the Public Prosecution for legal action the ministry stated. Investigations continue to identify any further links to this network or to other terrorist organizations. The ministry added that the defendants admitted to membership in Hezbollah and to training abroad in the use of weapons explosives surveillance techniques and assassination skills.
This operation marks the second such disruption in the month of March. On March 16 authorities announced the dismantling of another Hezbollah-linked terrorist cell involving 14 Kuwaiti nationals and two Lebanese suspects who were planning activities aimed at destabilizing internal security and recruiting for the organization according to KUNA. That earlier cell was found in possession of weapons ammunition drones communication devices and training materials the ministry spokesperson Brigadier General Nasser Bouslaib said at the time.
Kuwait has confronted threats linked to Hezbollah for decades. A 2012 analysis by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy recalled that the group along with Iranian-backed operatives carried out seven coordinated bombings in Kuwait in December 1983 killing six people and wounding nearly 90 others. Those attacks led to the arrest and conviction of 17 individuals known as the Kuwait 17 including several Hezbollah members the institute’s report noted.
The ministry emphasized in its March 25 statement that the security of the State of Kuwait its sovereignty and national stability are a firm red line. It warned that any threat to the country or collaboration with terrorist organizations will be met with the strictest legal measures. Photos of the accused who fled the country have been released as part of ongoing efforts to apprehend the fugitives the ministry added.
