Lebanon and Syria are stepping up efforts to curb cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons amid a period of political transition in both countries, with a series of recent seizures highlighting the persistent threat posed by these networks — some of which are believed to be connected to Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army on Thursday said it thwarted several attempts to smuggle drugs and fuel in the eastern Baalbek region, near the Syrian border. Several suspects were arrested, authorities said. Baalbek is located in the Bekaa Valley, a region long associated with Hezbollah, alongside Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh suburb and parts of southern Lebanon.
In neighboring Syria, state news agency SANA cited a security source near Damascus who reported that a Syrian unit intercepted a drug shipment headed from Lebanon to villages near Mount Hermon. Syrian forces ambushed the traffickers, resulting in a brief firefight that left one Syrian officer dead and two armed smugglers in custody, the source said.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati addressed the issue earlier this week in an interview with Sky News Arabia, vowing that Lebanon “will no longer be a conduit for drug smuggling to any state.”
The Syrian and Lebanese governments have increasingly highlighted their enforcement actions against smuggling, a shift seen as significant particularly in Syria. Under the rule of former President Bashar Assad, the country became a major producer and distributor of narcotics, particularly the amphetamine Captagon, with key operations reportedly led by the military’s Fourth Division under Assad’s brother, Maher Assad.
While drug trafficking remains a concern, Israel has expressed alarm over weapons smuggling from Syria to Lebanon. Some of the arms are believed to be destined for Hezbollah. On Sunday, Syria’s Al-Ikhbariya TV reported that security forces in Homs seized a weapons cache, including missiles, that was intended for transfer to Lebanon. Photos of the confiscated arsenal were released. A week earlier, Syrian border guards reported intercepting a separate arms shipment headed west.
In a report published Friday, the Lebanese daily Nidaa al-Watan said Hezbollah is rebuilding military infrastructure in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood, north of the Litani River, and in the Bekaa Valley. The group is allegedly enhancing its capabilities with smaller, more fortified bases, while also relocating weapons storage sites — sometimes in broad daylight — without interference from Lebanese security forces.
The report follows weeks of apparent Lebanese military action against Hezbollah on one hand, and continued Israeli airstrikes on what it describes as Hezbollah targets on the other. On Friday, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah weapons in the Bekaa Valley overnight, citing renewed activity at a site previously targeted by Israel.
Hezbollah is reportedly carrying out construction and excavation activities not only in Dahiyeh — including at the former headquarters of assassinated official Hashem Safi al-Din — but also in more remote areas of the Bekaa Valley. The group is said to be building underground bunkers and storage facilities along the eastern slopes of Lebanon’s western mountain range, areas that have not yet been hit by Israeli strikes. Diplomatic sources have warned of a possible escalation in Israeli operations in response.
This escalation comes as Lebanese authorities advance plans to limit the presence of unauthorized weapons in the country, including those held by Hezbollah and Palestinian factions in refugee camps. Nidaa al-Watan reported that a coordinated operation between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah to remove arms from areas north of the Litani is set to begin next week, away from public and media scrutiny.
In southern Syria, smuggling remains rampant along the border with Jordan. On Thursday, Syrian authorities said they intercepted a variety of narcotics being trafficked through the Nasib border crossing en route to Gulf states. The Jordanian military frequently reports foiling similar attempts, including some involving drones.
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Two weeks ago, the Al-Mayadeen network reported that a warplane, believed to be Jordanian, struck a house in the village of al-Shaab in southern Sweida province — an area targeted multiple times in Jordan’s ongoing effort to curb drug smuggling from Syria.
Despite a warming of ties between Amman and Damascus following the collapse of Assad’s regime, the drug trade continues to strain relations. The Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat reported this week that Jordan is facing a surge in smuggling attempts, though the overall volume of narcotics entering the country has declined, likely due to a crackdown on major Syrian traffickers and producers.