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Iran Is Funding Hizbullah via Suitcases Stuffed with Cash, Israel Warns

(Wall Street Journal) Dov Lieber - Israel has complained to the U.S.-led committee overseeing the ceasefire in Lebanon that Iranian diplomats have been flying from Tehran to Beirut with suitcases stuffed with U.S. dollars to fund Hizbullah's revival, a U.S. defense official said. Turkish citizens have also been used to ferry money from Istanbul to Beirut by air. The ceasefire committee has conveyed the complaints to Lebanon's government. Israel has targeted Hizbullah's sources of cash to hamper its ability to fight and slow its recovery. Over the past year, Israel killed central figures in Hizbullah and Iran who were responsible for keeping funds flowing. It also struck several sites where Israel said Hizbullah was keeping cash and gold during the fighting last fall. "First, Hizbullah literally has just lost a whole lot of money. Second, they now have massive expenses," said Matthew Levitt, former deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Treasury Department. Until recently, Iran's main smuggling route for supplying cash and weapons to Hizbullah ran through Syria, though Israeli officials have said Iran also used Beirut airport. The Syrian option was largely removed by the fall of the Assad regime, increasing the importance of the Beirut airport route. Former U.S. officials expressed concern that Hizbullah might hold enough influence over Lebanese security forces for Iranian-backed couriers to escape rigorous searches at the airport.
2025-02-02 00:00:00
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