The Ministry of Interior thwarts the  smuggling of "quality weapons" from Iraq to Hezbollah

The Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday (July 16th) that an attempt to smuggle a shipment of "quality" weapons and missiles across the Syrian-Iraqi border was foiled, noting that preliminary investigations indicate that the shipment was intended to cross through Syrian territory to the Lebanese Hezbollah.

"The operation came after the detection of a vehicle parked within the border area in suspicious circumstances, as it was subjected to inspection, which resulted in the seizure of a shipment of weapons that included long-range missiles, anti-armor guided missiles and drones," said a  statement published by the ministry on its official IDs.

According to the ministry's statement, preliminary investigations  proved that the shipment was intended to cross through Syrian territory towards Lebanon for the benefit of Hizbullah, stressing that investigations are "ongoing to uncover all the circumstances of the case and identify all those involved in it and the networks associated with it."

The Ministry reiterated  that the protection of borders and the preservation of national sovereignty is an uncompromising priority, and that it will not allow the use of Syrian territory as a corridor or a launching pad for the smuggling of weapons or the implementation of any activities that threaten the security of the Syrian Arab Republic or neighbouring States.

The Ministry of Interior publishes photos of the seized weapons

The ministry published photos of the weapons without announcing their quantities and did not specify the exact location of the operation or the party that was smuggling them, noting that investigations are still ongoing and did not mention the arrest of anyone during the operation to thwart the attempted smuggling of weapons.

The operation comes as Syrian authorities are tightening security measures at crossings and border areas with Iraq and Lebanon, as part of a campaign they say aims to curb arms and drug smuggling and border control.

Since the political change in Syria (the fall of the Assad regime) in December 2025, the new Syrian authorities have announced a series of security operations against arms and drug smuggling networks, and have repeatedly stressed that they are working to prevent the use of Syrian territory as a conduit for arms smuggling operations or for the activity of armed groups.

Foiling previous smuggling attempts

Earlier this year, the Syrian security services announced the foiling of an attempt to smuggle weapons to Lebanon, in a joint operation carried out by the Internal Security Directorates in the areas of Al-Qusayr in the countryside of Homs and Al-Nabak in the Damascus countryside.

 The Ministry of Interior has previously announced the seizure of several shipments of weapons and drugs in the provinces of Homs, Rural Damascus and Deir Ezzor, as part of security campaigns targeting cross-border smuggling networks, while the new Syrian authorities confirm that "border control is one of their most prominent security priorities, in coordination with neighboring countries."