On March 13, the Internal Security Forces of the new Syrian regime seized a truck loaded with weapons in the town of Khirbet al-Tin Nur, located in the western countryside of Homs. The weapons likely originated from a depot in the Homs area. Among other things, 60mm mortar bombs (likely of Russian manufacture) and Konkurs anti-tank missiles were seized. According to local reports, the truck driver and one of his escorts managed to escape, but another escort was arrested, transferred for interrogation in Homs, and confessed that the weapons were on the way to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
This is not the first time the new regime has announced that it has succeeded in thwarting weapons smuggling, which it claims were intended for Hezbollah. So far, according to reports and photos, rifles, anti-tank missiles, drone parts, mortar bombs, and additional ammunition have been seized.
We do not know if the weapons were indeed intended for Hezbollah in this case. The town of Khirbet al-Tin Nur is located on the M1 highway, which leads west from the city of Homs toward the Syrian coast and the northern border area of Lebanon with Syria. This geographical area, and particularly the adjacent and southern region (Al-Qusayr – Hosh al-Sayyid Ali), has been a central entry point to Lebanon within the framework of Iran and Hezbollah’s smuggling corridor. As of today, it continues to be used by Hezbollah in smuggling attempts.
