Syria foils alleged Hezbollah arms smuggling bid at Iraq border

Damascus,UPDATED: Jul 16, 2026 22:02 IST

Syrian authorities said they had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons that were believed to be headed to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon. State media reported on Thursday that a truck carrying advanced weapons and rockets was seized, while Hezbollah rejected the allegation and called it baseless.

The development comes as Syria’s new leadership steps up action against weapons and drug smuggling along its borders with Iraq and Lebanon, routes that for decades have been used to supply Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups. The issue also comes amid wider regional tensions involving Syria, Iraq, Hezbollah and the United States.

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted an unnamed Interior Ministry official as saying that the truck was intercepted at the country’s border with Iraq. The official said a preliminary investigation found that the shipment was intended for Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has been at war with Israel since early March.

The leadership in Damascus, which toppled former president Bashar Assad in 2024, has intensified its crackdown on smuggling networks, especially along the Iraqi and Lebanese borders. Those routes had long been seen as strategic supply lines for Hezbollah and other groups backed by Iran.

Hezbollah denied the Syrian government’s accusation, repeating a position it has taken several times before. The group had for years maintained a presence in Syria in support of Assad during the country’s 13-year conflict, but it says it no longer operates there.

“These claims and accusations are nothing more than fabricated narratives with no foundation in reality,” Hezbollah’s media relations office said.

In Iraq, the Joint Operations Command said it had set up a committee to investigate the smuggling attempt and would coordinate with officials in Damascus. It did not provide further details.

US President Donald Trump has insisted that Syria take military action against Hezbollah, while Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been trying to keep his country from being drawn into a wider regional conflict. Earlier this week, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi travelled to Washington to meet Trump, who has been pressing Baghdad to disarm militias backed by Tehran.

In sum, Syria said it had intercepted a truck carrying weapons allegedly meant for Hezbollah, the group denied the claim, and both Iraq and the US remain involved as the issue unfolds against the backdrop of wider regional tensions.

With PTI Inputs

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