By Nohad Topalian | 2025-06-18

BEIRUT -- Lebanese forces have seized control of border drug manufacturing hubs previously dominated by Hizbullah and the former Syrian regime.

Lebanese army units, supported by Directorate of Intelligence patrols, raided Captagon manufacturing laboratories in the Harf al-Samaka area of Hermel on the Lebanon-Syria border, the army said in a June 1 statement.

Security forces seized raw materials and demolished the facilities.

The raid followed the interception, in May, of a truck in Hermel carrying Captagon manufacturing equipment and materials intended for cross-border smuggling.

"The area extending from Syria's Qalamoun region to the Lebanese border areas was a haven for gangs linked to Hizbullah and the Syrian regime," Lebanese military and strategy expert Naji Malaeb told Al-Fassel.

"Captagon factories, drug trafficking and smuggling" thrived in these areas, he said, but since the army regained control over border villages and illegal crossings, it has been able to dismantle drug trafficking networks and facilities.

The dismantling of the factory in Harf al-Samaka is the latest success in efforts to end rampant drug manufacturing and trafficking on Lebanon's side of the border, Malaeb said.

Hizbullah and Syria's former regime had relied on drug manufacturing and trade to secure funding as part of their involvement in organized crime, Malaeb noted.

The party particularly depended on trade with Latin American countries, using Syria's Latakia port as an export outlet for Captagon shipments abroad, he said.

Cross-border cooperation

The organized crime network had regional security repercussions; threatening communities where drugs were smuggled, contributing to a rise in organized crime, exacerbating conflicts and facilitating illegal money flows, Malaeb said.

Cross-border drug smugglers spread corruption and provided revenue for terrorist networks that financed their operations, he added.

The Lebanese army's significant anti-drug efforts include the successful control of illegal border crossings and sites restricting outlawed armed militia movement, writer and international affairs expert Samir Skaf told Al-Fassel.

The army has established full control over the land border with Syria and is working to dismantle the trade.

It has curbed smuggling operations and enabled factory dismantling on both sides of the border, he said, with both countries on the right track toward controlling illegal passages and crossings.

"Talks between Lebanon and Syria over border control will enhance security between the two countries and rein in Hizbullah," he added.