Syria says killed man caught with landmines intended for Hezbollah

DAMASCUS, Syria: Syrian authorities said on Wednesday they had killed a man and arrested four others who were attempting to smuggle hundreds of landmines to Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.

In a statement, the interior ministry said it launched a raid in Al-Jebbe, near the capital Damascus, during which “four people were arrested and a fifth neutralised after a clash”.

Khaled Abbas Taktouk Internal security director for the Yabrud region, which is close to the Lebanese border, was quoted as saying that “1,250 mines armed with detonators” were seized.

According to the statement, they were “intended to be smuggled to Hezbollah” in Lebanon.

Under deposed president Bashar al-Assad, Syria was a key plank of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” against Israel and enabled the transfer of weapons and money from Iran to Hezbollah.

The militant group played a crucial role during Syria’s civil war, fighting alongside Assad’s forces and helping to keep the ruler in power as he cracked down on a popular revolt.

The new government in Damascus, dominated by the Islamist-led rebels who toppled Assad, has rejected Iran and attempted to cut off the supply of weapons to Hezbollah.

The militant group was hammered by Israel during more than a year of hostilities that culminated in outright war which ended with a ceasefire in November 2024.

Israel has accused it of trying to rebuild its military capability and has continued to launch strikes on the group in Lebanon despite the ceasefire.