Hezbollah denies Syrian arms shipment allegations after foiled smuggling attempt

Hezbollah on Thursday denied allegations that it was involved in arms-related activities in Syria after the Syrian interior authorities announced earlier it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle a shipment of weapons and missiles allegedly destined for the Lebanese group.



Syrian authorities said in a statement that they had intercepted a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles along the Syrian-Iraqi border while it was being brought into Syrian territory. Preliminary investigations indicated that the shipment was intended to transit through Syria before being delivered to Hezbollah in Lebanon.



The statement said the relevant authorities were continuing their investigation while pursuing legal measures to identify all those involved in the alleged smuggling operation.



In response, Hezbollah's media relations office issued a statement categorically denying any involvement, saying the group has repeatedly rejected claims of having activities inside Syrian territory.



It described the allegations as "completely false," noting the accusations were fabricated and aimed at harming Hezbollah's image while serving Israeli-U.S. "project" in the region.