Syria foils attempt to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah from Iraq, state media says

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative file photo — Syrian security forces are seen in Aleppo, Syria, Jan. 9, 2026. (Reuters photo)

DUBAI, July 16  -  Syrian authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle in a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles over the border from Iraq, the state news agency SANA reported on Thursday, citing an Interior Ministry source, who said preliminary investigations showed the shipment was intended for Lebanon's Hezbollah militia.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in June he had spoken to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa about combating Hezbollah.

The former rebels who now run Syria fought against Hezbollah for years as it was sending fighters to support Syria's then-president, Bashar al-Assad, in a civil war.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's office said Sharaa had assured him Syria would not take sides in Lebanon's internal affairs.

 (Reporting by Ahmed Elimam; Editing by Kevin Liffey // REUTERS)