An Iraqi security source told MBN that weapons seized by Syrian authorities near the Iraqi border had been hidden in a modified oil tanker equipped with a concealed compartment for transport to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The source said Iran-backed armed factions had sent the shipment and used drones to protect it during transit. He added the tanker was operating under an oil transportation contract between Iraq and Syria, part of a broader network allegedly used to conceal and smuggle weapons across the border.
MBN could not independently verify the identity of the group alleged to have sent the shipment, nor the claim that drones were used to protect it.
However, the source’s account broadly aligns with an announcement by Syria’s Interior Ministry that it had foiled an attempt to smuggle a large cache of weapons across the Iraqi-Syrian border. The ministry said that the shipment was destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The incident highlights the possibility that the increasing oil trade between Iraq and Syria could be exploited to move weapons, at a time when Damascus is seeking to tighten control over a border that for years served as a key corridor for the movement of fighters and arms between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
The Iraqi source said individuals and companies linked to armed factions had secured contracts to transport oil into Syria, and some tankers had been modified with concealed compartments designed to evade routine inspections.
He went on to say it was possible that before this seizure, the network had successfully moved other shipments using the same method, but he did not provide evidence regarding the number or timing of any previous shipments.
On this case, Syria’s Interior Ministry stated that specialized units identified a suspicious vehicle in the border area. A subsequent search uncovered long-range missiles, anti-tank guided missiles and drones.
After conducting preliminary investigations, the ministry said that the shipment was intended to go from Syria to Lebanon on behalf of Hezbollah. It added that the investigation is ongoing to identify those involved and to dismantle the networks connected to the operation.
The ministry also said it would not allow Syria to be used as a corridor for activities that threaten Syria’s security or the security of neighboring countries.
Syria’s General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs said the vehicle had been attempting to travel from the Al-Tanf border crossing toward the Mediterranean coastal city of Baniyas.
Syrian authorities did not specify where the vehicle had originated, nor did they reveal who owned it or how it reached the border area.
According to the country’s Joint Operations Command, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged smuggling attempt.
Iraq’s Security Media Cell said Iraqi authorities would coordinate with their Syrian counterparts to obtain further details about the operation, determine whether any security lapses occurred and take measures to prevent similar attempts along the shared border.
The incident comes amid increased traffic along routes linking Iraq and Syria following an agreement signed last month to transport about 160,000 barrels per day of Iraqi fuel oil to the port of Baniyas.
The Iraqi government has said the agreement is part of a broader effort to diversify export routes and reduce reliance on shipping corridors through the Gulf.
But if the source’s account is accurate, the alleged use of an oil tanker on that route raises questions about the ability of Iraqi and Syrian authorities to monitor commercial transport and to distinguish legitimate trade from smuggling networks that armed factions have recently established.
The issue carries particular significance for Hezbollah, which lost a key overland supply route linking Iran to Lebanon through Iraq and Syria after the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
If confirmed that the arms were meant for Hezbollah, the seized shipment could indicate that efforts to reestablish that corridor have continued and that weapons smuggling has increasingly relied on more sophisticated concealment methods and commercial transportation networks between Iraq and Syria.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
