Syria Denies Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak After Iraq Halts Live-Animal Transit

Mazen Alloush, director of public relations at Syria’s General Authority for Border Crossings and Customs, rejected Iraqi claims that foot-and-mouth disease is spreading in Syria and defended the health status of Syrian livestock. Alloush told SANA the reports are “baseless” and not supported by official epidemiological findings, saying Syrian authorities contacted their Iraqi counterparts to deny any outbreak and to stress that quarantine or transit bans should rely on documented, internationally recognised veterinary evidence.

Syria says livestock exports continue normally via Jordan and Syrian ports with no health objections from importing countries, and noted renewed transit activity at the al-Yaarubiyah crossing for shipments from Turkey to Iraq. Iraq, however, announced a temporary, precautionary suspension after citing information of disease spread in several Syrian governorates and emphasized that veterinary measures are applied uniformly to protect public health and food security. The move follows recent shifts in export routes—partly driven by higher Jordanian fees—and analysts have argued Syria is testing alternative corridors to avoid reliance on a single crossing. as reported by Enab Baladi