Syria’s Defense Ministry media and communications office announced today, Sunday, March 29, that it had discovered a tunnel used by what it described as “Lebanese militias” for smuggling operations along the border between the two countries.
In statements to Syria’s state news agency, SANA, the media office said that Syrian army units, while securing border areas along the Syrian-Lebanese frontier, found the tunnel, the second discovered within 24 hours.
The office said the relevant authorities had sealed the tunnel.
On Saturday, March 28, Syria’s Ministry of Defense also announced the discovery of a tunnel used for smuggling between the two countries.
The ministry’s media and communications office said Syrian army units had uncovered a tunnel stretching between Syrian and Lebanese territory near the village of Housh al-Sayyid Ali (western Homs countryside, central Syria).
It added that the tunnel had been used for smuggling purposes before it was sealed off and the necessary security measures were taken in the surrounding area.
The Defense Ministry did not specify what materials were being smuggled through the two tunnels. Syria has, however, periodically announced the interception of cross-border smuggling operations involving weapons and narcotics.
Weapons and drug smuggling
The Defense Ministry also announced that border guard units foiled an attempt on Saturday, March 28, to smuggle a quantity of Captagon pills from Lebanon toward the Juroud Assal al-Ward area (Qalamoun region, north of Damascus) along the border, following an exchange of fire with the smugglers.
The ministry’s media and communications office told the state-run al-Ikhbariya that the smugglers fled the area, while specialized units continue search and sweep operations there.
This followed another operation on March 19 that thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons in the Jurd Flita area, west of Damascus, on the Syrian-Lebanese border, after what the ministry described as a “well-executed ambush carried out with precision.”
At the time, the ministry’s media and communications office said the operation resulted in the arrest of four people, including two Lebanese nationals, and the seizure of a quantity of weapons and various ammunition. The suspects were referred to the relevant authorities for legal action, according to SANA.
The media office said Syria’s border guards are working to secure the border and combat armed groups, drug and weapons smuggling, and other illegal activities exploiting security conditions in some border areas.
Military reinforcements on the border
The Syrian armed forces have reinforced their deployment along the borders with Lebanon and Iraq, in a move they said is aimed at protecting and controlling the frontier amid escalating regional tensions.
In its statement, the military said the deployed units consist mainly of border guards and specialized reconnaissance battalions tasked with monitoring border activity and combating smuggling in all its forms.
The statement added that these measures are intended to secure Syria’s borders and prevent them from being exploited as crossing routes or flashpoints amid the fast-moving developments in the region, particularly the Israeli escalation on Lebanese territory and its potential repercussions for Syrian national security.
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