Smuggling

Syrian-Lebanese border closed after IDF issues evacuation notice - report

The IDF announcement stated that the intended airstrikes were due to Hezbollah's use of the crossing "for military purposes and for smuggling means of combat."

Members of the Syrian military police gather outside al-Aqtan prison, where some Islamic State detainees are held, in Raqqa, Syria January 22, 2026.
DEFENSE MINISTER Marhaf Abu Qasra inspects an armored brigade in the Syrian Army, March 31.

Cross-border tunnels spotlight Syria-Lebanon smuggling, security tensions

Soldiers from the IDF's 7th Armored Brigade operating in the Gaza Strip, January 14, 2026; illustrative.

WATCH: IDF continues counterterrorism ops. in Gaza Strip, including destroying terror tunnels

Coins seized by Border Police from vehicle of Palestinian doctor after attempted smuggling into Israel, March 23, 2026.

Palestinian doctor arrested for smuggling Second Temple-period coins from West Bank to Jerusalem


IDF foils weapons smuggling attempt via drone at Egyptian border

Three rifles were retrieved by Israeli forces after intercepting and locating the drone.

The three long weapons that the IDF located and seized after they were attempted to be smuggled into Israel, November 7, 2025.

IDF shoots drone smuggling weapons over western border, strikes terrorist crossing Gaza buffer zone

IDF observers noticed a foreign drone trying to cross one of Israel's western borders before shooting it down.

The IDF shot down a drone smuggling eight handguns into Israel over a western border, November 2, 2025.

IDF intercepts drone smuggling three rifles over Egypt border as Gaza ceasefire resumes

The IDF's statement did not clarify whether the smuggled weapons were intended for terrorists in Gaza or criminal gangs in southern Israel.

The IDF seizes three rifles after a drone attempted to smuggle them across the Egyptian border, October 29, 2025.

Syria juggling continued challenges, from drug smuggling to ISIS detainees - analysis

The Al-Hol camp has become a hotspot for ISIS detainees, housing tens of thousands of them, while the Homs Governate's anti-narcotics branch seized millions of Captagon pills.

Women and children stand at al-Hol refugee camp, as some families prepare to leave the camp to go back to their hometowns, in al-Hol, Syria, April 27, 2025.

Turkish nationals charged over plot to smuggle firearms from Iran into Israel

Three Turkish nationals were charged in Nazareth with plotting to smuggle pistols from Iran into Israel through Jordan, including one accused of aiding terror.

 General view of the Lahav 443 police unit headquarters in the city of Lod on November 4, 2019.

Israel Katz tells JD Vance that over 60% of Hamas tunnels left undestroyed

Defense Minister Israel Katz added that demolishing the tunnels is the most important joint mission in demobilizing Gaza in accordance with Trump's ceasefire plan.

An Israeli soldier secures a tunnel underneath Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, in Northern Gaza Strip, November 22, 2023.

US military strikes suspected drug vessels in the eastern Pacific ocean

US strikes in the Pacific killed five alleged smugglers, expanding Trump’s counter-narcotics campaign and sparking outrage from Colombia over legality.

Drugs interdicted in the Caribbean Sea by US, Dutch, and Canadian vessels are seen on the US Coast Guard Cutter Valiant in Miami Beach, Florida, US March 6, 2025.

Mexico's cartels exploit loopholes in US energy business for fuel smuggling

Cartel-linked smugglers are moving cut-rate diesel from the US into Mexico using falsified customs records, fake companies, and tanker ships disguised as legitimate trade.

Members of Mexico's National Guard patrol along the primary fence on the Mexico-US border, in Tijuana

IDF catches weapons smugglers in Hermon after residents report Lebanese citizens approach border

The suspects tried to smuggle grenades, guns, anti-tank rockets, and ammunition. They were taken to questioning, and the weapons were confiscated. 

 IDF troops operate in the Syrian area of Mount Hermon. December 8, 2024.

As Gaza war looms, Israel faces impending crisis on Egyptian border and the West Bank - analysis

The West Bank and the Egyptian border have the potential to boil over if certain threats are not addressed - and the issues are different in each place.

 Israeli security forces seen during a military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin, February 25, 2025.