Syria intercepts advanced weapons it says were destined for Lebanon’s Hezbollah
Syrian authorities announced the interception of a major weapons shipment at the border with Iraq, alleging it was intended for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Syria’s General Authority of Ports and Customs said on Thursday that a truck carrying advanced weapons, including long-range missiles, rockets, and drones, was intercepted at the al-Tanf border crossing with Iraq. The weapons were concealed inside an oil tanker truck heading to the city of Baniyas.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, citing the Interior Ministry, preliminary investigations indicated that the shipment was intended to transit Syrian territory before being delivered to the “Hezbollah terrorist militia” in Lebanon.
Hezbollah quickly denied the accusations, calling them “fabricated narratives with no basis in fact, aimed at harming Hezbollah.” The current Syrian government is hostile to the group, which was an ally of former President Bashar al-Assad before he was ousted in 2024.
Iraq said it would form a high-level committee to investigate the incident and strengthen border security. The Baniyas route has been frequently used for fuel transports between Iraq and Syria since the main route through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by the Iran war.
Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett, reporting from Lebanon, noted that the seizure is part of a broader regional reshuffling following the fall of the Assad regime. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has been cracking down on smuggling routes previously used by Iran to send weapons and cash to Hezbollah.
US President Donald Trump has discussed disarming Hezbollah with al-Sharaa, but the Syrian leader assured Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Syria would not take sides in Lebanon’s internal affairs, including the fight against Hezbollah.
