Syrian officials announced Thursday that they had stopped an attempt to move advanced weapons and missiles across the country’s border with Iraq, according to the country’s state news agency SANA. An Interior Ministry source cited by SANA indicated the weapons shipment appeared to be intended for the militant organization Hezbollah.
Syria’s General Authority of Ports and Customs revealed that the cargo — which included rockets and drones — had been hidden inside what was described as “one of the oil tanker-trucks headed to the city of Baniyas.” Customs officers discovered the concealed weapons at the al-Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq after conducting a more thorough inspection of a suspicious vehicle during routine procedures.
Hezbollah had not issued any response to requests for comment as of the time of the report.
The route through Baniyas has grown into a significant corridor for fuel transportation between Iraq and Syria. Reuters reported last month that Iraq was moving forward with plans to expand exports through Syria to include crude oil and naphtha, building upon an existing arrangement in which fuel oil is transported overland to Baniyas for further export. Iraqi officials have described this initiative as part of a broader government strategy to open additional export routes beyond the Gulf region.
U.S. President Donald Trump stated in June that he had spoken with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the subject of countering Hezbollah, which is currently engaged in fighting against Israel in Lebanon.
Syria’s current leadership, made up of former rebel fighters, spent years battling Hezbollah after the group sent fighters to back Syria’s then-president, Bashar al-Assad, during the country’s civil war.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office reported that Syrian President Sharaa had given assurances that Syria would not interfere in Lebanon’s internal matters.
