Iraqi security sources have revealed new details to MBN about an alleged arms smuggling operation that sought to move a shipment from Baghdad into Syria before delivering it to Hezbollah in Lebanon using a tanker truck owned and driven by two Iraqi nationals recruited by Iraqi armed factions.
According to the sources, the operation unraveled after the two drivers secretly contacted Syrian security officials, who took custody of the tanker truck at the border before it entered Syrian territory. Investigations into the incident are still underway.
Drivers Recruited Through Legitimate Cross-Border Trade
The sources said the two men jointly owned a tanker truck used to transport petroleum products between Iraq and Syria through official border crossings.
Their regular commercial activity across the border, along with their familiarity with the routes and crossings, made them attractive recruits for Iraqi armed factions seeking to move weapons without attracting suspicion.
According to the sources, the drivers were recruited to transport a shipment of weapons into Syria, where it was to be handed over to individuals affiliated with Hezbollah for onward delivery to Lebanon. It was the pair’s first such operation, and they were paid $50,000 for the assignment.
The weapons were loaded into the tanker in Baghdad. However, the drivers were not told where the cache had been concealed inside the vehicle. They were informed only that weapons were hidden somewhere within the tanker, without being given their precise location.
The sources said such compartmentalization is a common smuggling tactic designed to protect a shipment from discovery even if drivers are searched or questioned.
Secret Coordination with Syrian Authorities
The most significant aspect of the case, according to the Iraqi security sources, is that the drivers were not arrested before the plot was exposed. Instead, they voluntarily contacted Syrian security officials and informed them that they had been recruited to transport weapons into Syria.
The two men remained in contact with Syrian authorities throughout the period following their recruitment, providing regular updates on the instructions and movements directed by the armed faction behind the operation.
The sources said the drivers were monitored for several days before the tanker began its journey toward the border as part of a coordinated effort with Syrian authorities to determine the appropriate time and location to transfer custody of the vehicle.
The sources did not say whether Iraqi and Syrian authorities coordinated before the operation was carried out.
The drivers handed the tanker over to Syrian security officials at the Al-Waleed border crossing between Iraq and Syria without entering Syrian territory.
According to the sources, the armed faction had instructed the drivers that once the tanker entered Syria, they would receive a phone call identifying the party responsible for collecting both the vehicle and its cargo.
That call never came. By then, the tanker had already been taken into the custody of Syrian authorities.
Iraqi Investigation Continues
Despite their role in helping thwart the operation, Iraqi authorities later arrested one of the two drivers and opened an investigation, which remains ongoing.
According to the intelligence sources, investigators are seeking to identify those who recruited the drivers, determine which armed faction organized the operation, and trace both the origin of the shipment and its route within Baghdad.
Part of a Broader Smuggling Pattern
If the details are confirmed, the incident would fit a pattern documented for years by Western and regional intelligence and security agencies involving Iraqi armed groups aligned with Tehran’s regional axis using overland routes through the Iraq-Syria border to transport weapons, ammunition, and money to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Such networks have come under increased scrutiny as Hezbollah’s logistical infrastructure has faced sustained pressure following repeated strikes on its supply lines and senior leadership in recent years.
The Al-Waleed border crossing, located in Iraq’s western Anbar province along the Syrian border, is one of the principal commercial gateways between the two countries. Its heavy volume of legitimate trade traffic has also made it an attractive route for smugglers seeking to conceal illicit shipments among commercial trucks and tanker trucks crossing the border each day.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
