The Lebanese Army announced Monday it had dismantled one of the largest Captagon drug manufacturing facilities in the Harf al-Samaqa region near Hermel, as part of a wider crackdown on cross-border drug trafficking and illegal smuggling routes along Lebanon’s porous eastern frontier with Syria.

In a statement, the military said an Army Intelligence patrol raided a property in the rugged Harf al-Samaqa area near the northeastern town of Hermel after detecting suspicious movements. The operation resulted in the complete dismantling of the drug lab and the seizure of large quantities of equipment and materials used to manufacture the powerful amphetamine.

Military sources told Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that the facility was among the biggest discovered to date, consisting of three floors and several warehouses packed with hundreds of barrels filled with liquid and powdered chemicals. The site also contained industrial machinery and hundreds of millions of Captagon pills ready for distribution, the sources said.

The factory was located in a remote and difficult-to-access area in Hermel’s mountainous outskirts. Officials said the raid was made possible by “precise intelligence” tracking movements near a home owned by a Lebanese citizen. The house was empty at the time of the raid, and authorities have launched an investigation to identify and arrest those involved.

The drug bust comes as Lebanese security forces step up efforts to clamp down on illicit trafficking networks operating along the border with Syria, which has long served as a key corridor for Captagon smuggling. Tensions in the area have flared in recent weeks, particularly in the Al-Arid region near the village of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, where repeated clashes have broken out between Hermel-based clans and Syrian forces.

The Army’s expanded deployment in the border villages has helped stabilize the security situation and prevent further violence. Officials say the operations are part of a broader state-backed effort to shut down illegal crossings and reassert control over the frontier.

New Army units — including elements of the 6th and 9th Infantry Brigades, as well as ground forces — have recently been deployed along the eastern border, stretching from the Jousiyeh crossing all the way to the Hermel highlands. The deployment covers key flashpoints, including Al-Qaa, Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, Al-Arid, Sahlat al-Mai, and Al-Qasr.

The latest moves also come amid increased coordination between Lebanese and Syrian authorities on border security. A meeting of the joint security committee, established under Saudi mediation, is expected to be held later this month to follow up on ongoing efforts to curb cross-border smuggling and tighten border controls.