diff --git a/packages/babel-parser/src/parser/statement.ts b/packages/babel-parser/src/parser/statement.ts
index 6bbab77998ed..5d760bde35a3 100644
--- a/packages/babel-parser/src/parser/statement.ts
+++ b/packages/babel-parser/src/parser/statement.ts
@@ -2944,7 +2944,13 @@ export default abstract class StatementParser extends ExpressionParser {
     loc?: Position,
   ): void {
     if (isExport) {
-      // This will never happen
+      if (!process.env.IS_PUBLISH) {
+        if (phase === "module") {
+          throw new Error(
+            "Assertion failure: export declarations do not support the 'module' phase.",
+          );
+        }
+      }
       return;
     }
     if (phase === "module") {
diff --git a/packages/babel-parser/src/plugins/placeholders.ts b/packages/babel-parser/src/plugins/placeholders.ts
index 4d460d40d422..f349bd32a9d7 100644
--- a/packages/babel-parser/src/plugins/placeholders.ts
+++ b/packages/babel-parser/src/plugins/placeholders.ts
@@ -310,10 +310,7 @@ export default (superClass: typeof Parser) =>
       >,
       maybeDefaultIdentifier: N.Identifier | null,
     ): node is Undone<N.ExportNamedDeclaration> {
-      if (
-        (node as N.ExportNamedDeclaration).specifiers &&
-        (node as N.ExportNamedDeclaration).specifiers.length > 0
-      ) {
+      if ((node as N.ExportNamedDeclaration).specifiers?.length) {
         // "export %%NAME%%" has already been parsed by #parseExport.
         return true;
       }