How Syria’s Drug Economy Is Shaken by Hezbollah-Israel Conflict
Rizik Alabi reports that Syria’s Captagon drug trade, crucial for President Bashar Assad’s regime, faces serious disruption due to ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Captagon, a synthetic stimulant, has become a key revenue source for the Assad government and its ally, Hezbollah, which aids in drug smuggling across the Middle East. This lucrative trade’s weakening, caused by Hezbollah’s preoccupation with its war against Israel, threatens Syria’s economy, particularly since the regime relies on drug profits for military funding.
Alabi explains that international sanctions have targeted high-ranking figures within the Assad regime tied to Captagon smuggling, including Maher Assad, the president’s brother, and Hezbollah-linked operatives. In recent years, both groups have built extensive drug networks across the region and beyond, trafficking even to Latin America and Europe. Financial support from Iran remains integral to Hezbollah’s operations, but the group’s current conflict is cutting into these economic lifelines.
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The Israeli assassination of Syrian businessman Baraa Qatirji, involved in financing Hezbollah through Iranian-backed deals, illustrates the stakes of the ongoing conflict. Residents in Damascus are already experiencing a shortage of Captagon, reflecting the broader economic and social effects of the war on the drug trade.
Concluding the report, Alabi highlights calls from experts and political analysts for a concerted international response to Syria’s drug trade. Without stronger intervention, Hezbollah and Assad’s regime are expected to continue exploiting illicit revenue streams to sustain conflict and regional destabilization.
