Syria says it disrupted a Hezbollah-linked plot and uncovered rockets near the Quneitra area of the Golan Heights. Officials also reported arrests tied to another terrorist cell, plus the seizure of 500,000 Captagon pills in a joint anti-smuggling operation with Iraq. At the United Nations, Syria pledged to continue counterterrorism operations, while criticizing Israeli actions in southern Syria.
The Kingdom of Jordan conducted airstrikes targeting drug smuggling networks in southern Syria between December 23 and 25. The Jordanians coordinated with regional partners, although reports did not specify whom. The strikes targeted rural areas near the Jordanian border in Syria’s southern Suwayda Governorate, which is currently controlled by Druze forces.
After toppling Bashar al Assad in December, Syria’s new leaders pledged to crack down on the captagon trade, which had generated billions of dollars for the Assad regime. However, subsequent efforts have failed to significantly curb the production and trafficking of the illicit stimulant.
There has been a serious escalation on the Lebanon-Syria border over the past week after Syrian forces launched an operation targeting illegal checkpoints used for narcotics and weapon smuggling.
Worth approximately $10 billion, the illicit captagon drug trade served as a financial lifeline for the Assad regime in Syria. Since Bashar al Assad’s ouster, new details about narcotrafficking operations and the extent of regime involvement have come to light.