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3. Syria Says It Arrested Terrorist Cell and Seized Hezbollah-Linked Drones and Missiles in Rif Dimashq

Syria’s Ministry of the Interior announced that it cracked down on terrorist cells in the Rif Dimashq Governorate and captured military hardware and weapons linked to Hezbollah, according to a report from Nidaa al-Watan. 

In the operation, internal security forces arrested all members of the cell and seized Hezbollah drones, missiles, and launch platforms, which were planned to be used in future attacks. 

The head of internal security in Syria’s Rif Dimashq Governorate, Ahmed al-Dalati, accused Hezbollah of their involvement in several illicit trade networks apprehended by Syrian security forces.

Al-Dalati revealed that the networks connected to Hezbollah were deeply integrated into Syria, smuggling illicit goods including drugs and weapons, and recruiting Syrians to work within their system.

As the central governments in both Beirut and Damascus embark on campaigns to reclaim their sovereignty across the entirety of their territory in Lebanon and Syria respectively, there is a greater push to decrease the porousness of their shared border and crack down on illicit networks operating across it.

The two countries have established joint cooperation between the two countries’ internal security services, al-Dalati affirmed, to address cross-border issues. 

Earlier today, Lebanese and Syrian officials agreed to a deal to transfer around 300 convicts to Syria as the two countries find pathways towards addressing parties that are deemed as obstacles to their internal stability. 

The former Syrian regime, led by Bashar al-Assad who closely aligned the country with Iran and its proxy network, has been accused of facilitating the illicit trade network of weapons and drugs in which Hezbollah operates. The new Ahmed al-Sharaa-led regime has sought to diminish these networks in its efforts to unite the entirety of Syrian territory under Damascus’ control.

Hezbollah has leveraged the lightly-monitored Lebanon-Syria border and Lebanese ports to allegedly smuggle weapons and cash into Lebanon which is a crucial pillar of the organization’s power.