Shafaq News – Quneitra

The Israeli army said on Saturday that it had thwarted an attempt to smuggle weapons near Mount Hermon along the Syrian-Lebanese border.

According to a statement from the Israeli military, the forces conducted a nighttime operation in the area, where several suspects were apprehended while allegedly attempting to transfer weapons, including anti-tank rockets, from Syria into Lebanon.

There was no immediate comment from Syrian or Lebanese authorities.

Rising along the contested Golan Heights, Mount Hermon has become a strategic linchpin in Israel’s military calculus in southern Syria. Since the collapse of Syrian state control in the area, Israel has reinforced its presence on Mount Hermon and within the adjacent buffer zone. The Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, and other senior officials have repeatedly emphasized the mountain’s importance, vowing that Israeli forces will remain stationed there indefinitely “to monitor cross-border threats and protect Druze residents.

Read more: Israel's expansion in Syria: A looming threat to Iraq