Despite the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime and the rise of Syria’s new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Hezbollah continues working to preserve the military and political infrastructure it built in Syria over more than a decade.
The growing tension was highlighted by Ahmed Mowafaq Zidan, an adviser to al-Sharaa, who recently called on Hezbollah to stop interfering in Syria’s internal affairs and accused the terrorist organization of supporting elements linked to the former Assad regime.
The confrontation is not limited to rhetoric. Syrian security forces have reportedly foiled repeated attempts to smuggle weapons from Syria into Lebanon and arrested several Hezbollah-linked cells across the country. These incidents indicate that Hezbollah still maintains operational networks, local contacts and influence inside Syria.
For Hezbollah and Iran, Syria remains far more than another arena of influence. It is a vital logistical and geographic bridge: a route for transferring weapons, military equipment and technological components to Lebanon, and a platform from which terrorist operations can be prepared against Israel.