Syria stops arms smuggling to Hezbollah again

Good news!

"... For the second time in two weeks, the Syrian government announced it prevented a shipment of arms to Lebanon.

This is a significant development. It highlights how the new leaders are seeking to interdict smuggling and show the region it is serious. There is likely some implicit messaging in this to Israel as well that the Jewish state can trust the new government in Syria to stop the flow of weapons to its enemies.

The statement from the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) is short. It says, “The General Administration of Border Security, following monitoring and surveillance, has seized a shipment of weapons destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The weapons were being smuggled through the Syrian-Lebanese border via the city of Serghaya in [the] Damascus countryside.” ..."

"Syrian border forces thwarted a smuggling attempt to resupply Hezbollah in Lebanon from Rif Dimashq on January 25.[xxii] The General Directorate of Border Security announced that it seized a shipment of rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, and ammunition in Serghaya, Rif Dimashq, before the shipment reached Lebanon.[xxiii] The General Directorate specified that the weapons were intended for Hezbollah.[xxiv] Syrian government forces recently interdicted a drone shipment in Tartus likely intended to resupply Hezbollah.[xxv] The General Directorate did not specify the identities of the smugglers but noted that the shipment traveled through existing smuggling routes. It is unlikely that these networks fully collapsed when the Assad regime fell, despite the flight of numerous Iranian-backed elements from Syria."

Syria stops arms smuggling to Hezbollah again - The Jerusalem Post "The Lebanese army must deploy in order for Israel to withdraw, and Hezbollah’s presence must end. However, as revealed by the smuggling, Hezbollah is trying to re-arm."

Critical Threats Project: Iran Update