Lebanese army says seizes ‘one of the largest' captagon factories to date
In a statement, the army said that 'after the intelligence directorate received information about a major captagon pill factory in the town of Yammouneh, Baalbek, a patrol from the directorate, supported by an army unit, raided the factory.'
The military added that the factory 'turned out to be one of the largest factories seized to date.'
Soldiers dismantled the machinery and seized a 'large quantity' of pills, though the army did not specify how many.
Captagon became Syria's largest export following the eruption of the civil war in 2011, and a key source of illicit funding for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government.
In Lebanon, al-Assad's ally Hezbollah also faced accusations of using the captagon trade to finance itself.
The drug has flooded the region, with neighboring countries occasionally announcing captagon seizures and asking Lebanon and Syria to ramp up efforts to combat the trade.
With AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Jordanian anti-narcotics authorities thwart smuggling attempt on border with Syria
LONDON: The Jordanian Armed Forces thwarted a drug smuggling attempt on their northeastern border with Syria on Tuesday morning as they intensified efforts to protect national security. The Eastern Command, which includes units from Ar-Ramtha and Mafraq near the Iraqi and Syrian borders, thwarted an infiltration and smuggling attempt involving a large quantity of narcotics, in coordination with the Anti-Narcotics Department. Jordanian troops forced the smugglers to retreat into Syrian territory after they deployed rapid response patrols and applied rules of engagement, according to the Petra news agency. A search of the area resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of narcotics by authorities. Last week, Jordanian anti-narcotics authorities prevented an attempt to smuggle narcotics using a drone across the country's western border. In January, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic reached an agreement to establish a joint security committee aimed at securing their border, combating arms and drug smuggling, and preventing the resurgence of the Daesh terror group.
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Israel strikes on east Lebanon kill 12: state media
BEIRUT: Israeli strikes on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon killed 12 people on Tuesday, Lebanese state media reported, as the Israeli army said it hit Hezbollah targets in the area. 'Enemy warplanes launched raids on the Wadi Fara area in the northern Bekaa Valley, one of which targeted a camp for displaced Syrians, resulting in the deaths of 12 martyrs, including seven Syrians, and eight wounded,' Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Israel military says striking Hezbollah targets in east Lebanon
JERUSALEM: Israel's military said it was striking targets belonging to Hezbollah's elite Radwan force in eastern Lebanon on Tuesday, the latest attack despite a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group. 'Moments ago, Israeli Air Force fighter jets... began numerous strikes toward Hezbollah terror targets in the area of Beqaa, Lebanon,' it said in a statement. 'The military compounds that were struck were used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization for training and exercising terrorists to plan and carry out terrorist attacks against (Israeli) troops and the State of Israel,' it added. The statement said an Israeli military operation in September 2024 had 'eliminated' Radwan force commanders in Beirut and southern Lebanon, but that 'since then the unit has been operating to reestablish its capabilities.' 'The storage of weapons and the activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization at these sites constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and constitute a future threat to the State of Israel,' it added. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon despite a November ceasefire that sought to end over a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war that left the group severely weakened. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border, leaving the Lebanese army and United Nations peacekeepers as the only armed parties in the region. Israel was required to fully withdraw its troops from the country but has kept them in five places it deems strategic.
