Syrian customs authorities said Thursday they intercepted a shipment of advanced weapons concealed inside an oil tanker at the al-Tanf border crossing with Iraq, describing it as one of the largest arms seizures since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
According to Syrian officials, inspectors discovered long-range missiles, guided anti-tank weapons and drones hidden inside the tanker, which was reportedly traveling toward the Baniyas refinery on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. Authorities said preliminary investigations indicate the shipment was intended for Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, though they did not identify the smugglers or disclose where the weapons originated. Hezbollah had not publicly commented at the time of publication.
The interception came less than two weeks after Syrian and Iraqi border-security officials met on July 6 to strengthen cooperation against cross-border smuggling networks. It also followed President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the NATO summit in Ankara, where Trump again urged Damascus to take stronger action against Hezbollah. Sharaa has instead emphasized tightening border controls and disrupting illicit financial and logistical networks rather than pursuing direct military confrontation with the Lebanese armed group.
Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria served as the principal overland corridor linking Iran with Hezbollah through Iraq and into Lebanon. Since Assad’s removal, the new Syrian authorities have repeatedly highlighted weapons seizures and anti-smuggling operations as evidence that they are dismantling those long-established supply routes while seeking to restore state control over the country’s borders.
If confirmed, the latest seizure would represent another setback for efforts to rebuild Hezbollah’s logistical network after the collapse of the Assad government severed one of the group’s most important regional supply corridors.
