Hezbollah denied the reports that it was receiving funds from Iran via Beirut airport [Getty]
Ismail Baghaei, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, dismissed on Monday claims that Iran provides funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon as merely Israeli-driven rumours aimed at hampering Lebanon’s reconstruction.
Citing a US defence official, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) had reported Friday that Israel had filed a complaint to a multi-national committee overseeing the ceasefire deal alleging that Iranian diplomats were delivering “tens of millions of dollars in cash” to Hezbollah through Turkish citizens to help with the group’s revival.
Hezbollah denied the reports that it was receiving funds from Iran via Beirut airport. A Hezbollah lawmaker told The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed last week that these reports were “Israeli and American attempts” to justify Israel’s ongoing attacks and violations of the ceasefire deal, as well as the committee’s inability to stop Israel from not meeting the terms of the agreement.
“This report, like reports published previously, is part of Israel’s lies and the pretexts that the occupation relies on to justify its crimes, and to accuse Hezbollah and Lebanon of violating the agreement, as it does when it claims to attack targets affiliated with Hezbollah, while in reality it targets and kills civilians…directly and in plain sight”, the MP who wished to remain anonymous told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
Early in January, an Iranian commercial plane underwent rigorous security checks at Beirut airport after it was suspected that it was transporting money to Hezbollah.
Authorities at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport had told the Mahan Air flight that it would need to undergo inspection or it wouldn’t be allowed to land, amid suspicions that it was carrying financial aid to the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group.
The airport’s security requested to search diplomats’ bags to check whether they were carrying cash. The diplomats initially rejected this request, resulting in long delays in disembarking passengers from the plane.
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry later said it received a written letter from the Iranian embassy in Beirut clarifying that two diplomatic bags which initially had not been allowed to pass contained documents and cash for embassy operational expenses only. Beirut subsequently allowed the cash to be delivered to the embassy.
Lebanon is undergoing significant international pressure to crack down on its parallel cash-driven economy. In October, Lebanon was added to the to “grey list” of nations that are subject to increased monitoring of financial transactions by global anti-money laundering watchdog FATF.
The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force said it also added Algeria, Angola and Ivory Coast.
Local media reports have linked the removal of Lebanon from the grey list to cracking down on smuggling and the parallel economy, including smuggling, customs evasion, and the illicit movement of goods across Lebanon’s borders. Measures are also required to stop paramilitary groups such as Hezbollah from using illicit funding sources – Hezbollah’s reliance on unofficial and illegal financial channels is classified as a form of money laundering and terrorism financing.
Without these reforms, many donors will not help finance the reconstruction of Lebanon following months of brutal Israeli airstrikes.
