German authorities arrest a Lebanese man accused of procuring drone components for Hezbollah

BERLIN — A Lebanese man accused of being a member of the Hezbollah militant group and procuring drone components that were to be exported for use in attacks against Israel has been arrested in Germany, prosecutors said Monday.

The suspect, identified only as Fadel Z. in line with German privacy rules, was arrested in Salzgitter in northern Germany on Sunday, federal prosecutors said in a statement. He is suspected of membership in a foreign terrorist organization.

He joined Hezbollah in Lebanon by the summer of 2016, prosecutors said. This year, he allegedly started procuring components in Germany for the assembly of military drones, particularly engines, on the group's orders. “They were supposed to be exported to Lebanon and used in terrorist attacks on Israel,” prosecutors said.

On Monday, Fadel Z. was brought before a judge, who ordered him kept in custody pending a possible indictment.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Israel have been trading near daily exchanges of fire since the Israel-Hamas war broke out nine months ago.

Hezbollah says it is striking Israel in solidarity with Hamas, another Iran-allied group that ignited the war in Gaza with its Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel. Hezbollah's leadership says it will stop its attacks once there is a cease-fire in Gaza and that, while it does not want war, it is ready for one.