⁠Syrian ⁠authorities foiled ⁠an attempt to smuggle ​in a shipment of advanced ‌weapons and missiles ‌over the border ⁠from ⁠Iraq, the state news agency SANA reported ​on 16th July, citing an Interior Ministry source, who ​said preliminary investigations showed the ⁠shipment was ⁠intended for ⁠Lebanon’s Hezbollah ​militia.

In June, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa about “combating” Hezbollah.

The “rebels” who now rule Syria had been fighting Hezbollah for years, as it was arming itself to help the then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a civil war in his country.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s office said ⁠Sharaa had assured him Syria would not take sides in Lebanon’s internal affairs.