Media: Iran identifies new weapon supply route for Hezbollah

Iran is considering smuggling weapons to its proxy group Hezbollah by using air shipments to Lebanon following the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria.

While direct flights from Tehran’s international airport to Beirut resumed recently, they no longer pass through Syrian airspace since rebels took control of Damascus, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The overland routes that previously facilitated the transfer of Iranian rockets and other weapons to Hezbollah via Syria have been disrupted, prompting Iran to explore turning Beirut into a new "hub" for these deliveries, a regional source familiar with discussions in Tehran revealed.

This aerial supply route would violate the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon, potentially sparking new hostilities. Western nations are reportedly concerned that with Damascus no longer accessible for weapon smuggling, Iran is attempting to repurpose Beirut’s airport as a logistics center, similar to what it had done in Syria.

The source cautioned that this could trigger the next escalation in the region. Hezbollah has suffered significant setbacks due to Israel's sabotage operations, airstrikes, and ground invasion in southern Lebanon. Additionally, the downfall of Assad has diminished Iran's influence in Syria.

Israel has effectively dismantled Hezbollah's leadership, destroyed a large portion of its weaponry, and pushed its militia back from the northern border as part of an ongoing ceasefire agreement. Despite the weakening of Iran’s "Axis of Resistance" against Israel, regional sources believe Tehran may attempt to strengthen its remaining allies, including Shiite militias in Iraq, Houthi rebels in Yemen, Palestinian militant groups, and Hezbollah. The potential air route to Beirut is not the only supply line Iran could use to support Hezbollah's revival.

Overland routes through Iraq, Jordan, and the West Bank — which have been used in the opposite direction in the past — remain viable options. There are also maritime transport routes to Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast. However, analysts argue that such a bold move to transport weaponry by air, effectively taking control of Lebanon's civilian airport, or by sea, would be too risky for a weakened Hezbollah and a diminished Iran. 

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, where it has fostered a reputation as “a state within a state.” Founded during the chaos of the fifteen-year Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), the Iran-backed group is driven by its violent opposition to Israel and its resistance to Western influence in the Middle East. Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and many other countries, and has deep-rooted military alliances with repressive, anti-Israel regimes in Iran and Syria.

Cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel escalated in recent years, particularly amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip that broke out last year. In a major intensification of its battle with Hezbollah, in late 2024 Israel killed longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, and launched a ground offensive against the group in southern Lebanon.

By Naila Huseynova