Iraqi government orders probe over weapons smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon

Iraq's prime minister has announced a probe into cross-border smuggling to Lebanon's Hezbollah. Ali al-Zaidi said he was setting up a "high-level committee" in coordination with the Syrian government to investigate the transport of “advanced weapons” from Iraq through Syria to the Iran-backed group. Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC), which answers directly to the prime minister, said that it would "hold those responsible for any shortcomings accountable, in a manner that ensures the security and stability of the shared border and prevents any attempts to undermine national security." Earlier on Thursday, the state news agency Sana reported that Syrian security forces had thwarted an attempt to smuggle in a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles through the Syrian-Iraqi borders. Read more: Iraqi government orders probe over weapons smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon An Iraqi special forces member stands guard in a street in Basra on 8 September, 2018 (AFP/Haidar Mohammed)