Syrian authorities said on Tuesday that officers had seized an arms shipment concealed inside a vehicle bound for Lebanon through the Jdeidet Yabous customs crossing in the Damascus countryside.
The General Authority for Land and Sea Ports and Customs said the shipment contained 226 RGC-type grenades hidden in professionally constructed compartments inside the vehicle.
Video released by the customs office showed officers searching a civilian car at the border crossing and police dogs helping uncover the compartments.
Syrian border crossings have been placed on heightened alert amid regional tensions and speculation that Damascus could play a role, under US pressure, in efforts to disarm the Hezbollah group in Lebanon, with potential repercussions inside Syria.
Media reports said authorities have intensified operations against smuggling networks and tightened oversight of transit routes as part of efforts to secure the borders, stabilize the country and restore Syria’s role as a reliable regional corridor for overland trade between Europe and the Gulf.
In mid-July, Syrian authorities announced that they had intercepted a large shipment of advanced weapons entering from Iraq and bound for Lebanon.
The weapons were seized near the al-Tanf crossing on the Iraqi border after officers searched a suspicious vehicle parked in the border zone.
The shipment included long-range missiles, guided anti-tank missiles and drones, according to the authorities.
The customs agency said the weapons had been carefully concealed inside an oil tanker headed to the coastal city of Baniyas.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the shipment was intended for Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to official statements from Syria’s Interior Ministry and customs authority.
Hezbollah denied any connection to the attempted smuggling, calling the allegations “false and baseless.”
The customs authority said the smuggling network had exploited transit convoys crossing Syrian territory to bring in prohibited goods. The network was dismantled after extensive surveillance established its methods and movements.
Syrian authorities have reported foiling several arms-smuggling operations toward Lebanon in recent months. In January 2025, 1,250 military mines fitted with detonators were seized near Yabroud in the Damascus countryside. Syrian state media said they were intended for Hezbollah.
