ISTANBUL / Layth al-Junaidi / Anadolu

Syria's Interior Ministry announced Thursday it had foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of 'specialized weapons and missiles' across the Syrian-Iraqi border for 'Hezbollah' in Lebanon.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted an unnamed ministry source as saying that 'specialized units thwarted an attempt to bring in a shipment of specialized weapons and missiles across the Syrian-Iraqi border.'

The source added: 'Preliminary investigations proved that the seized shipment was intended to cross Syrian territory for the terrorist Hezbollah militia.'

As of 09:40 GMT, no official comment had been issued by the Lebanese side or by Hezbollah regarding what the Syrian agency reported, nor was any clarification issued about the details related to the arms smuggling across the border.

On July 6, Iraq and Syria held their 'first border meeting' to discuss mechanisms for enhancing field coordination, information exchange, and control of the border strip between the two countries.

Iraq and Syria are connected by three main land crossings: Rabiaa-Yaroubiya, Al-Qaim-Al-Bukamal, and Al-Waleed-Al-Tanf, which were reopened and reactivated in successive periods following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime, paving the way for enhanced economic cooperation between the two countries.

On December 8, 2024, Syrian rebels entered the capital Damascus, announcing the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's regime (2000-2024), who inherited power from his father Hafez al-Assad (1971-2000).