Syria accuses Lebanon's Hezbollah of sponsoring drug and weapon smuggling at border

Presence of the Lebanese group at the border poses threat to Syria, official says

The Lebanon-Syria border at Al Arida on December 9. Fighters from HTS now patrol the border areas of Syria and accuse Lebanon's Hezbollah of smuggling drugs and weapons into Syria. AFP

Syria's new authorities have accused Lebanon's Hezbollah of sponsoring drug and weapon smugglers at the border after Syrian forces clashed with gangs in Syrian villages this week.

Clashes with armed smugglers started in Haweek, Jarmash, Wadi Al Hawrani and Akum during a campaign to control the country’s western borders from smuggling operations, said Lt Col Moayed Al Salama, the commander of the western region in the Border Security Administration told official news agency Sana.

“Most smuggling gangs on the Lebanese border are affiliated with Hezbollah militia, whose presence now poses a threat at the Syrian border because it sponsors drug and weapon smugglers."

Syria announced a large-scale security operation aimed at shutting down smuggling routes along the border, with a focus on Haweek and surrounding areas in western Homs province, triggering clashes with Lebanese clan members. Haweek is inhabited mainly by members of the Lebanese Zaaiter and Jaafar tribes.

“The former regime turned the Syrian-Lebanese border into corridors for drug trade in co-operation with Hezbollah militia, promoting the presence of armed smuggling gangs at the border area,” Lt Col Al Salama said.

At least three people were killed and 10 injured on the Lebanese side in the clashes, while on the Syrian side one member of the newly formed forces comprising mostly of former Hayat Tahrir Al Sham fighters, was also killed, Sana news agency reported.

The violence has involved an exchange of missile fire from both sides, with Lebanese clans claiming they are battling fighters attempting to infiltrate the border.

“We did not target the Lebanese interior, despite the shelling of our units by Hezbollah militia," Lt Col Al Salama added.

"Our operations were limited to the Syrian villages adjacent to the border, targeting armed smuggling gangs and those who fought with them from remnants and militias.”

On Saturday, the Lebanese Army, which has sent military reinforcements to the northern and eastern borders, said it had responded to incoming fire from Syria.

Lt Col Al Salama said that most of the gangs on the Lebanese border are affiliated with Hezbollah, which has become a threat with its presence on the Syrian border through "its sponsorship of drug and weapons smugglers".

Syrian forces seized a large number of farms, warehouses and laboratories of manufacturing, processing and packaging hashish and Captagon pills, he said, as well as presses to print counterfeit currencies. Sana published a number of images of the Captagon laboratories. The forces also seized several weapon and narcotics shipments at border which were on their way to Syria.

"We have developed a comprehensive plan to fully control the borders," said the official.

Since taking power in December, Syria’s new government, led by the HTS – which had links to Al Qaeda and Al Nusra Front – has made cracking down on Hezbollah-linked smugglers a priority in efforts to secure the border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah had denied links to the drug trade in neighbouring Syria during president Bashar Al Assad's regime.