Syrian troops discover cross-border tunnels used for smuggling weapons and drugs, reinforcing the frontier to stay out of the regional conflict.
AL QUSAYR: Syrian troops have uncovered a network of cross-border tunnels used by Hezbollah along the frontier with Lebanon.
The army discovered the tunnels while combing the rugged border area in recent weeks, according to Syrian border official Mohammad Hammoud.
He said the network was used to smuggle weapons and drugs between the two countries.
An AFP photographer saw at least five tunnels, including one with an entrance dug into a house basement.
Other passages in the mountainous terrain were equipped with electrical wiring and ventilation systems.
A picture of late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah hung on the wall of another house leading to a tunnel.
A Syrian army field commander stated that Hezbollah used the tunnels.
The rural Qusayr area links Syria’s Homs province to Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley.
It became a Hezbollah stronghold after the group intervened in Syria’s civil war in 2013.
Since the ouster of former ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, Hezbollah’s supply lines from Syria have been cut.
New Islamist authorities in Damascus say they are coordinating with Beirut to combat smuggling.
Syrian authorities announced the discovery of another tunnel in Homs province on March 28.
They stated that “Lebanese militias” used it for smuggling operations.
Israel has repeatedly announced strikes on border crossings to prevent supplies reaching Hezbollah.
An AFP correspondent saw sites damaged by Israeli strikes, including destroyed buildings near a tunnel.
Syrian soldiers were seen on foot patrol near the border, monitoring a Lebanese army position.
On March 4, Syria announced a reinforcement of its army along the Lebanese border.
The deployment included armoured vehicles, rocket launchers, and reconnaissance battalions.
The goal is securing the border amid the escalation of the ongoing regional war.
A diplomatic source said Damascus has been pressured to intervene in Lebanon but refused.
Syria dominated Lebanon for decades after intervening in its civil war, withdrawing in 2005.
A Syrian military source said the army has no intention of any military action.
Its mission is currently limited to border control only, the source told AFP.
Although not yet dragged into the conflict, Damascus accused Hezbollah of shelling its positions on March 10.
On the same day, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed the need to control the border.
Sharaa reiterated on Tuesday that his country wants to remain out of the conflict.
“So long as Syria is not directly targeted by any party, it will remain outside this conflict,” he said.
He added that fourteen years of war in Syria are enough, stating the country has paid a heavy price.