Syria said on Thursday it had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon by seizing a shipment that included missiles at its border with Iraq.

“Specialised units thwarted an attempt to bring in a shipment of sophisticated weapons and missiles through the Syrian-Iraqi border,” a source from the interior ministry was quoted as saying by Syria’s official Sana news agency.

“Initial investigations established that the shipment was intended to transit through Syria for the benefit of the terrorist militia Hezbollah,” the source added.

The Iran-backed group in a statement dismissed the accusations as “fabricated narratives with no basis in fact, aimed at harming Hezbollah”.

Syrian authorities are hostile to the group, which was an ally of former president Bashar al-Assad before he was ousted in 2024.

They have previously announced several other seizures of weapons they say were bound for Hezbollah, but Thursday’s announcement is the first involving the border with Iraq.

According to Syria’s customs authority, the shipment was seized inside an oil tanker truck at the Al-Tanf border crossing.

The tanker was heading to Baniyas city, whose port Iraq has been using in recent months to export limited amounts of oil after its main route through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by the Middle East war.

The interior ministry said the shipment included long-range and anti-tank missiles, as well as drones.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the formation of an inquiry commission and Iraqi authorities will “coordinate” with Syria on the matter, the Iraqi government’s security media cell said in a statement.

The statement said Iraqi authorities would “hold those responsible for any negligence accountable, in order to ensure the safety and security of the shared border and prevent any attempt to undermine national security”.

Since a religious coalition took power in Syria in 2024, the authorities say they have dismantled several Hezbollah-linked cells preparing attacks in Syria, but Hezbollah has denied the accusation.

The group has been weakened by the war it has waged against Israel since March in support of Iran.

US President Donald Trump has recently floated the idea of Syria intervening in Lebanon against Hezbollah.

But Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he has no interest in taking military action, despite Trump’s suggestions.