From time to time, Syrian authorities announce the foiling of attempts to smuggle weapons shipments into Lebanon, the most recent of which occurred in the al-Brij area of Syria’s Qalamoun region.
According to details of the incident, Syrian security forces intercepted, at the beginning of 2026, a large shipment of rifles, rocket launchers, and anti-armor shells that authorities said was bound for Hezbollah across the Syrian-Lebanese border, according to Syria’s official news agency, SANA. The Syrian Ministry of Interior stated that this was the second such shipment seized in less than ten days along smuggling routes on the Syrian-Lebanese border.
On the Lebanese side, the Lebanese army announced the arrest of a gang involved in smuggling weapons and ammunition from Syrian territory, as part of ongoing anti-smuggling operations.
These developments have once again brought the issue of border control and illegal crossings between the two countries to the forefront, especially since similar incidents occurred in the past, but were handled in entirely different ways.
The Scenario… in Two Versions
Along the road through the town of Kahale in Mount Lebanon, hundreds of trucks travel daily to and from the Lebanese-Syrian border. At first glance, the scene appears routine on a major artery linking the Bekaa Valley with Beirut and its suburbs. Yet this route—marked by steep slopes and rugged valleys—was the site of a suspicious incident on August 10, 2023, when a truck loaded with weapons and ammunition slid off the road. It later emerged that the shipment belonged to Hezbollah.
The incident did not pass quietly. The area turned into a battleground after an exchange of gunfire between Hezbollah members and local residents, who had gathered to protest the transport of weapons and ammunition through their area. The Lebanese army intervened, cordoned off the site, collected the weapons, and said it transferred them to a military facility—a move that observers at the time described as controversial, as it reflected an apparent convergence between the army’s actions and Hezbollah’s interests.
Today, however, the picture has changed. The same scenario is no longer managed in the same way. Political writer and analyst Dr. Michel al-Shammāʿi told Alhurra that “it has now become clear that smuggling weapons and transporting them through Lebanese territory and international roads has become difficult for Hezbollah, especially since drones and satellites are constantly in Lebanon’s skies. In addition, they notify the Mechanism Committee—the body overseeing the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel—which in turn informs the Lebanese army of any violation in this regard.”
After the Fall of Assad
Following the change of power in Syria and the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime at the end of 2024, the new Syrian government has sought to reassert control over the borders, including cracking down on smuggling of all kinds of goods—from consumer products to weapons and drugs.
All of this reflects a new reality along the Lebanese-Syrian border. “Before the fall of Assad’s regime, smuggling was effectively sanctioned between Syria’s Fourth Division and Hezbollah, which controlled the border,” Lebanese MP Ziad Hawat told Alhurra, adding that “smuggling from Syria into Lebanon has become more difficult since Assad’s fall.”
Hawat’s remarks align with reports and evidence showing that Hezbollah benefited from a broad support system that included Iranian weapons transported via Syria into Lebanon. Today, however, the collapse of Assad’s system—long supportive of Hezbollah and itself backed by the group—has led to a significant reduction in that logistical support. Still, experts say authorities have not succeeded in stopping it entirely or permanently.
The Security Challenge
The Lebanese-Syrian border stretches for roughly 370 kilometers, with only six official crossings. Both Lebanon and Syria claim sovereignty over it, according to official statements. Yet the rugged terrain remains “ideal” for smuggling networks operating in mountainous areas and valleys, where thousands of informal routes have emerged.
MP Hawat said that “the number of illegal crossings is around 20,” revealing that “smuggling also sometimes occurs through official crossings.” He called on the government to “be serious and firm on this issue, and to assign the army to resolve it decisively, given that smuggling has cost the Lebanese state billions of dollars, caused Lebanon security and social instability, and allowed massive quantities of weapons and goods to flow from Syria into Lebanon and from Lebanon into Syria.”
As part of a broader plan to confine arms to the state, the Lebanese army is seeking to regain full control of the borders. Since mid-2025, Lebanese authorities have held a series of government meetings addressing the issue of restricting weapons to state authority, including a presidential speech in July and a subsequent cabinet session that discussed a timeline for placing all weapons under state control alone.
Logistical Challenges
The Lebanese state faces enormous challenges in enforcing its sovereignty across all Lebanese territory. Among them are claims that the army is unable to impose full control over the borders due to the multiplicity of internal tasks assigned to it, amid funding crises facing the military institution, in addition to the region’s rugged terrain and the complex geography between the two countries.
Military experts, however, dispute this view. Retired Lebanese army brigadier general and former MP Wehbe Qatisha told Alhurra that “the geography between Lebanon and Syria is not difficult,” arguing that “securing the border does not require deploying all personnel along it to stop smugglers, but rather relying on intelligence and technological means, which are available.” What is needed, Qatisha said, is a political decision, stressing that “the army is an executive body, but the state suffers from institutional and political fragmentation, which is reflected in the performance of the Lebanese army.”
A Cross-Border Issue
Iranian officials have visited Lebanon in recent months, and Tehran has continued to send political signals regarding its relationship with the country, while Hezbollah has reciprocated with promises of “support” should Iran face any military attack.
On the other side, Israel plays a parallel role in undermining weapons-smuggling networks through airstrikes targeting crossings and smuggling routes deemed “a threat to its national security,” according to Israeli military statements. In recent months, Israel has carried out strikes on Hezbollah smuggling routes through Syria aimed at preventing the transfer of Iranian weapons along this corridor.
For its part, the United States, through Deputy U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus, has criticized the Lebanese government. During repeated visits to Lebanon, she has stressed that “the United States expects the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah and all other armed groups,” considering this part of Lebanon’s security obligations and responsibilities and a step that would help prevent further attacks.
Between geographic challenges and international pressure, the greatest bet remains on the performance of the relevant Lebanese and Syrian authorities to put an end to this long-standing phenomenon.
