Syrian authorities have intensified operations along the Lebanese border, tightening control over key crossings and underground routes long used by Hezbollah, according to military analysts and local sources. The moves mark a decisive shift under President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, transforming Syria from a logistical hub for militias into a theater for enforcing state sovereignty.

For decades, Syria was more than a neighbor to Lebanon as it served as a critical corridor for cross-border weapons, narcotics, and other supplies under the Assad regime. With Al-Sharaa assuming power, Damascus has moved to end this era of impunity, reasserting control over areas previously exploited by Hezbollah and other armed groups.

“Hezbollah’s tunnels are now confronting systematic Syrian measures aimed at cutting both surface and subterranean supply routes,” said a military analyst speaking to Sawt Beirut International. “These areas are no longer safe passageways. The operational map has changed, signaling a transition from informal understandings to formal sovereignty enforcement.”

Historically, the Lebanese-Syrian border has been politically and militarily exploitable under Assad family directives. From Hafez Assad to his son Bashar, the border region operated as a zone of impunity. 

Concurrently, Syrian authorities have tightened controls at major crossings to eliminate what officials call “security privileges” previously afforded to regime figures. The logistical backbone in the Al-Qusayr countryside—overlapping with Lebanon’s northern Bekaa Valley and believed to house Hezbollah’s heavy missile caches—has been effectively encircled. According to the military analyst, the area’s rugged terrain and dense population historically allowed the construction of sophisticated underground facilities with little oversight from the previous Syrian state.

Field operations in recent days have revealed a vast, fully equipped “tunnel state,” with over 150 tunnels and illicit crossings identified. Two strategic tunnels linking Homs countryside in Syria with Lebanon were discovered over the past weekend, highlighting the role of underground networks in transporting weapons and Captagon.

These facilities, described by analysts as “fully integrated military installations,” include reinforced concrete and metal ceilings, electricity, ventilation, and miniature rail systems for moving heavy loads—akin to Gaza-style tunnels. Some are large enough for four-wheel-drive vehicles and feature operational rooms with wired communications, evading international wireless monitoring.

The analyst warned that Hezbollah is increasingly “caught in a pincer,” as Israeli army has been issuing repeated evacuation warnings to villages in western Bekaa overlooking the Litani River and the Qaroun Dam, which are considered as critical links to northern Bekaa missile depots. These measures aim to cut Hezbollah’s supply lines, isolating southern fighters from their logistical depth.

Heightening tensions, the Syrian Observatory reported that military reinforcements, including rocket launchers and Shaheen drones, have been deployed along the border. The buildup, coupled with the tunnel closures, raises questions over Damascus’s ultimate objective: full enforcement of border sovereignty or a broader offensive to dismantle remaining militia enclaves.

The current operations underscore a strategic recalibration in Syria’s approach to Hezbollah and other armed groups, signaling a transition from decades of tacit tolerance to a more assertive assertion of state control. Analysts say the outcome could reshape Hezbollah’s logistical capabilities and influence across the Lebanese-Syrian border.