Syrian authorities say they intercepted a cargo together with missiles, rockets, and drones earlier than it entered from Iraq.
Printed On 16 Jul 2026
Syria has seized a cargo of weapons, together with missiles, at its border with Iraq, as authorities say they foiled an try and smuggle arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon, one thing the group denies.
Syria’s Normal Authority of Ports and Customs mentioned on Thursday that the weapons cargo – which included long-range missiles, rockets and drones – was hid inside “one of many oil tanker-trucks headed to the town of Baniyas”.
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It was found throughout routine inspection procedures on the al-Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq after customs officers subjected the automobile to a radical search, Syria’s state information company reported.
“In response to the ministry, preliminary investigations based mostly on proof collected on the scene indicated that the cargo was meant to transit Syrian territory earlier than being delivered to the Hezbollah terrorist militia in Lebanon,” SANA wrote, citing sources from Syria’s Inside Ministry.
The Iran-backed Lebanese group denied having any exercise in Syria, dismissing the accusations in a press release on Thursday as “fabricated narratives with no foundation the truth is, geared toward harming Hezbollah”.
Syrian authorities are recognized to be hostile towards the group, because it was an ally of former president Bashar al-Assad earlier than he was ousted in 2024 by members of the present authorities.
Following the seizure, Iraq mentioned it will type a high-level committee to analyze what occurred. The army’s Joint Operations Command mentioned Baghdad would coordinate with Syrian authorities to determine the circumstances of the tried smuggling, maintain these accountable to account, and strengthen safety alongside the shared border.
The Baniyas route, the place the tanker was passing via, has been used often in current months for gas actions between Iraq and Syria, because the important route via the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted by the Iran warfare.
“This seizure from Syria is a part of a broader reshaping of the area that has occurred during the last couple of years, notably the autumn of the Assad regime in Syria,” mentioned Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett, reporting from Lebanon.
“It was a very fashionable land route for Iran to visitors weapons and money to its accomplice right here in Lebanon, Hezbollah. They went from Iran, throughout Iraq, via Syria, after which right here into Lebanon.”
“Below the Assad regime they [Iran] had little or no bother with that, however because the new [Syrian] President Ahmed al-Sharaa took energy, he has been cracking down on that crossroad of smuggling,” Pett added.
A supply at Syria’s Inside Ministry informed SANA that “defending Syria’s borders and safeguarding its nationwide sovereignty remained a prime precedence, including that it will not permit Syrian territory for use as a transit route or launch level for arms smuggling or different actions that threaten the safety of Syria or neighbouring international locations”.
US President Donald Trump had spoken to Syria’s al-Sharaa about disarming Hezbollah, which is combating Israeli forces occupying southern Lebanon. However Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s workplace mentioned al-Sharaa had assured him that Syria wouldn’t take sides in Lebanon’s inside affairs, together with combating Hezbollah.
