Syria's Interior Ministry said today it seized a shipment of weapons bound for Hezbollah at the Syrian-Iraqi
By Bernard Moerdler,
Syria's Interior Ministry said today it seized a shipment of weapons bound for Hezbollah at the Syrian-Iraqi border, concealed inside an Iraqi oil tanker. Specialized units moved after monitoring a vehicle parked in the border zone under suspicious circumstances, the ministry said, and a search produced long-range missiles, anti-tank guided missiles and drones. "Preliminary investigations proved, based on the evidence and clues collected during the operation, that the shipment was prepared to cross through Syrian territory towards Lebanon for the benefit of the terrorist Hezbollah militia," the ministry said, adding that investigations continue to identify everyone involved and the networks linked to the case. Syria's General Authority for Ports and Customs said the weapons were hidden inside a tanker headed for Baniyas. The seizure took place on July 7 and was disclosed only today, after Syrian investigators completed their work. The ministry said the detained driver told investigators that employees at the al-Waleed crossing, on the Iraqi side, had helped the shipment through.
The ministry said the shipment was stopped before it entered Syrian territory. Sources familiar with the matter said it was seized at al-Tanf, on the Syrian side, after the tanker had completed Iraqi customs procedures and was sealed. BNN was not able to independently verify either account. The al-Waleed and al-Tanf crossings reopened to Iraqi crude in March, and Iraq's al-Waleed district director said at the time that authorities expected up to 500 tankers to enter Syria daily, giving Baghdad an overland export artery running through Syrian territory to the Mediterranean.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered an investigation and said he was forming a high-level committee with the Syrian government to examine the transport of advanced weapons from Iraq through Syria, an Iraqi official said. Iraq's Joint Operations Command said it had formed a committee of its own and would coordinate with Damascus. Hezbollah rejected the Syrian account. "We strongly reject the fabricated narratives regarding military activity in Syria," the group's media relations office said, describing the accusations as "fabricated and baseless narratives published with the aim of tarnishing the image of the Resistance" and saying they serve "the American-Zionist project in the region." The disclosure comes days after al-Zaidi met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, where Trump pressed Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups, and after Trump said in a Fox News interview on Tuesday that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa could help confront Hezbollah.
Topics: Iran, Lebanon & Hezbollah, Syria
Reported by Bernard Moerdler for Bernie News Network. See our editorial standards and corrections policy.