Lebanese Army Captures Infamous Drug Lord Nouh Zaiter in Baalbek Raid

Lebanese security forces have captured one of the country’s most notorious drug traffickers, Noah Zaitar, following years of evasion and international sanctions. The arrest took place in the city of Baalbek in Lebanon’s eastern Baalbek-Hermel governorate on Thursday, after a careful military operation that involved precise surveillance and monitoring.

Zaitar, who had been on the run while living in his home village of Kneisseh, is accused of running a vast drug empire, producing and exporting narcotics including the synthetic stimulant captagon. He was also involved in armed robbery, kidnapping for ransom, and attacks on military personnel and civilians.

The Lebanese military said Zaitar was one of the most dangerous individuals in the country, with multiple arrest warrants issued against him. The arrest comes as part of a wider crackdown on drug trafficking and organized crime in Lebanon. A military tribunal had previously sentenced him to death in 2024 for the killing of a Lebanese soldier.

The United States had sanctioned Zaitar in 2023 for his suspected links to Syrian narcotics networks, particularly the captagon trade that has fueled a multi-billion-dollar black market in Lebanon and Syria. US officials described him as a known arms dealer and drug smuggler with ties to the Syrian Arab Army’s elite Fourth Division and support for the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

The arrest operation was not without violence. In Baalbek, two Lebanese soldiers, Bilal al-Baradi and Ali Haidar, were killed while pursuing narcotics suspects, and another suspect, Hassouneh Jaafar, was shot after opening fire on security forces. Additionally, two other men were arrested in Akkar governorate for drug promotion and possession of weapons and ammunition.

Authorities have confirmed that Zaitar is now in custody and under investigation, supervised by the Lebanese judiciary. Officials say the arrest marks a significant step in Lebanon’s ongoing efforts to combat organized crime, drug trafficking, and violence linked to narcotics networks in the region.