ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday congratulated Syrian security forces for preventing several weapon shipments allegedly headed toward Lebanon’s Hezbollah group.

“Congratulations to Syria’s security forces for recently interdicting multiple weapons shipments,” read a statement by Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, asserting that the shipments “were intended for Lebanese Hezbollah.”

“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,” Cooper added.

On Tuesday, Syrian security foiled an attempt to smuggle “1,250 military mines equipped with detonators, which were prepared for smuggling to the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon,” and arrested four individuals and killed one “during clashes with the patrols,” Khaled Abbas Taktouk, Syrian internal security official announced.

Since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, Syrian security forces have repeatedly blocked weapon shipments to Lebanon, preventing Hezbollah’s acquisition of supplies, while intensifying their border security with the country.

Weapon transfers and drug trafficking to Lebanon were major economic assets for the fallen Syrian regime. The Iran-backed Hezbollah had also been reliant on the supply it smuggled from Tehran through Damascus for decades

Since his rise to power, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s new Sunni president, has been trying to bolster the country’s relationship with Western states, through reconstructing economic relations and advancing military collaborations against the Islamic State (ISIS) and Iran-backed groups.

A US-designated terrorist organization, Hezbollah has been the subject of severe US sanctions. Washington has repeatedly called for the disarmament of the group, claiming their presence jeopardizes the security of the Middle East.