Syria stops weapons smuggling to Hezbollah at Iraq border

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian authorities thwarted an attempted weapons smuggling on its border with Iraq, reportedly heading to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, state media said Thursday.

The truck that was seized was carrying advanced weapons and rockets, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted an unnamed Interior Ministry official sa saying. A preliminary investigation concluded that its intended destination was Hezbollah in Lebanon, which since early March has been at war with Israel, the official said.

The new leadership in Syria, which toppled former President Bashar Assad in 2024, has cracked down on smuggling of weapons and illicit drugs along its borders, especially with Iraq and Lebanon, that for decades have served as strategic routes for supplying Hezbollah and other groups backed by Iran.

Iraq’s Joint Operations command said that it formed a committee to investigate the smuggling and will coordinate with its counterparts in Damascus. It did not offer other details.

U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted Syria take military action against Hezbollah, as Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been trying to prevent his country from being sucked into a wider regional conflict.

Hezbollah did not comment on the allegations.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi earlier this week traveled to Washington to meet with Trump, who has been pushing Baghdad to disarm Tehran-backed militias.