Views: 5
Border tensions rise as Syria cracks down on smuggling networks
Shafaq News/ Syrian security forces clashed with armed smuggling groups near the Lebanese border last week as part of a sweeping operation to curb drug and arms trafficking, a Syrian official said on Tuesday.
Mouayad Al-Salama, head of the western region in Syria’s Border Security Administration, explained in a statement that “clashes erupted in the villages of Hawik, Jarmash, Wadi Al-Hourani, and Akoum during a security sweep aimed at securing the country’s western frontier.” He accused Hezbollah-linked groups of controlling smuggling routes and fueling the illegal trade.
“The border had become a corridor for trafficking illicit drugs and weapons,” Al-Salama claimed, blaming the previous Syrian regime for “allowing the expansion of smuggling networks in coordination with Hezbollah.”
Despite border skirmishes, Al-Salama denied that Syrian forces had targeted Lebanese territory, instead alleging that Hezbollah fighters had shelled Syrian security units. “Our operations were strictly limited to Syrian villages near the border, targeting armed smuggling gangs and their collaborators,” he noted.
“A broader security plan has been launched to secure the border while ensuring the safety of local communities.”
As part of the security sweep, Syrian forces reportedly seized cannabis farms, Captagon production facilities, and counterfeit currency printing sites, according to Syria’s state-run SANA news agency. Authorities also confiscated large quantities of narcotics and weapons intended for smuggling into Lebanon.
Tensions flared on Sunday as the Lebanese army responded to cross-border shelling and gunfire from the Syrian side, with clashes intensifying in the Hermel region. Several Lebanese civilians were injured, prompting President Joseph Aoun to order military action while engaging in diplomatic talks with Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, to prevent further escalation.