Security operations intensify in Syria's Homs amid rising crime, smuggling

The Military Operations Administration launched a security campaign in the western countryside of Homs, where security forces stormed Al-Rabwah village (Dalbouz) near the Syria-Lebanon border, amid reports about arresting several civilians.

This comes as a part of the ongoing security campaigns in Homs province, which coincide with the escalating security chaos, including murder crimes, thefts and clashes, and rampant smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

To recall, at least six people have been killed in clashes between security forces from the new administration and armed groups in the western countryside of Homs province, central Syria. The violence erupted during a combing operation launched by authorities yesterday.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), six gunmen, predominantly from the Shia minority in the area, were killed. The fighting involved heavy machine guns and tanks, as security forces sought to dismantle armed groups operating in the region.

Rami Abdel Rahman, SOHR’s director, noted that the area had previously hosted local groups allied with Lebanese Hezbollah, a key supporter of Al-Assad during the 2011 conflict, but these groups left following the regime’s fall in December.

The operation, according to SANA, is aimed at targeting weapon stockpiles, drug traffickers, smugglers, and militia remnants who have refused to disarm. A weapons depot belonging to the former regime has already been uncovered.

By Aghakazim Guliyev