'Notorious' arms trafficker between Syria and Lebanon arrested in the North

A "notorious" arms trafficker was arrested on Friday by State Security in Akkar, North Lebanon, the security agency announced in a statement.

The man, identified by the initials M.H., is considered a "key player in arms trafficking operations between Syria and Lebanon, via illegal passages in northern Lebanon," according to State Security. He was apprehended by agents of the Kobeyate branch at dawn. His home, the location of which has not been specified, was searched and the agents discovered "25 Kalashnikov rifles and a BKC rifle," a Russian machine gun, as well as ammunition, the text adds, specifying that all were seized. An investigation is underway.

The border between Lebanon and Syria, whether in the Bekaa or North Lebanon, is particularly porous to all kinds of trafficking between the two countries, whether it is weapons, drugs or the passage of people from one country to the other. These illegal routes have, however, been affected by a series of Israeli strikes on the border, which continue and target both legal and illegal border infrastructure.