Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea: Syrian regime directly involved in smuggling from Lebanon to Syria

BEIRUT ـــــ Leader of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea has criticized and raised the issue of rampant smuggling between Syria and Lebanon. In a post on Twitter, Geagea stated that “when the smuggling is done from Syria into Lebanon, the Syrian authorities control it immediately, and border control becomes possible. But when the smuggling is from Lebanon towards Syria, the Lebanese authorities claim that they are unable to control the borders.” Geagea continued with a direct accusation that “the Syrian authorities are complicit in facilitating this smuggling operation,” referring to the Syrian Ba’ath regime’s direct involvement and control over the smuggling operations from Lebanon to Syria.

عندما يكون التهريب من #سوريا الى #لبنان، تقوم السلطات السورية بضبطه فوراً، ويصبح ضبط الحدود ممكناً.

أمّا عندما يكون التهريب من لبنان باتجاه سوريا، تتباكى السلطات اللبنانية بأنّها عاجزة عن ضبط الحدود، وتتواطأ السلطات السورية لتسهيل عملية التهريب هذه.

— Samir Geagea (@DrSamirGeagea) February 3, 2022

The years-long war in Syria, widespread corruption, mismanagement of the economy, in combination with international sanctions targeting the dictatorial Ba’ath regime, have devastated the Syrian economy and increased the suffering of the Syrian people. The regime has therefore increasingly turned to international drug trafficking and smuggling. The smuggling through neighboring Lebanon, where ally Hezbollah is pulling the strings, keeps the regime in Daramsuq (Damascus) afloat. Gasoline and foodstuffs, electronic devices, stolen cars, medicines go into Syria, while amphetamine drugs are smuggled to Lebanon and further.

Lebanon’s relationship with the Syrian Ba’ath regime led by the Assad family for over 50 years, is one of the most contentious issues in Lebanon. Public outcry against the smuggling has been to no avail – at a time when Lebanon itself is going through one of the most severe financial crises in its existence. Various political parties, led by the Lebanese Forces Party, have demanded over and over again legal investigations into smuggling from Lebanon to Syria.

Syria controlled Lebanon with troops inside the neighboring country from the 1970s during the Lebanese Civil War until the killing of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. Shia Iran, Hezbollah and Syria are suspected of being behind the attack on the former Lebanese Sunni Prime Minister.