CENTCOM head says Syria recently blocked several arms shipments to Hezbollah
US and regional partners have interest in disarming Lebanese terror group, says Adm. Brad Cooper, as Syrians mark one year since offensive that toppled Hezbollah ally Assad
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
The head of the US military’s Central Command congratulated Syria’s security forces on Friday for thwarting several weapons shipments to Lebanon’s Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah.
“Congratulations to Syria’s security forces for recently interdicting multiple weapons shipments,” said Adm. Brad Cooper in a statement, as Syrians celebrated the first anniversary of the lightning rebel offensive that toppled the country’s Iran- and Hezbollah-backed President Bashar al-Assad.
“The United States and our regional partners have a shared interest in ensuring the disarmament of Lebanese Hezbollah and in preserving peace and stability across the Middle East,” said the CENTCOM chief.
It was unclear how many arms shipments Cooper was referring to, when or where the interdictions took place, or who the source of the weapons was. On Thursday, Syrian authorities said they killed a man and arrested four others who were attempting to smuggle hundreds of landmines to the terrorist group.
The congratulations to Syrian government forces come after US President Donald Trump on Monday warned Israel not to “interfere” in the country following a clash between the IDF and gunmen in Syria’s south.
Trump also said he was “very satisfied” with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the jihadist faction that ousted Assad after a 14-year civil war.
Statement from Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander: pic.twitter.com/ALmhPd7SoZ
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 5, 2025
Israel has been leery of Sharaa and moved troops into the demilitarized buffer zone following Assad’s ouster, citing a fear the area would fall into the wrong hands.
The CENTCOM chief’s congratulations also come as the US and Israel have leaned on the Lebanese state to disarm Hezbollah as part of last year’s November 27 ceasefire agreement between Israel and the terror group.
The deal came after over a year of conflict, ending with two months of open warfare in southern Lebanon, following Hezbollah’s near-daily attacks on Israel’s north that started on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas invaded southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza.
Hezbollah emerged from the war weakened militarily and politically. The government that took power in Lebanon earlier this year vowed to uphold a state monopoly on arms — a veiled threat against the terror group.
Israel has carried out dozens of airstrikes on Lebanon since the ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of violating the agreement. Amid the efforts to maintain the ceasefire, Israel and Lebanon held their first direct meeting in decades this week, as part of the agreement.
AFP contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.