Hezbollah receives funding from a variety of sources, including outright theft and direct funding from Tehran, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) revealed on Monday.
This came after the Israel Defense Forces attacked the physical infrastructure of Hezbollah’s main financial institution, Al-Qad Al-Hasan (AQAH) Association, on Monday.
The IDF said Hezbollah raises funds either through theft from Lebanese civilians or through direct cash injections from Iran’s treasury.
One way the funds reach Lebanon is through cash smuggling by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)’s Quds Force. They smuggle oil and funds into Syria, where they are transferred to Syrian companies for laundering. Hezbollah and Syrian flags fly on military vehicles in Western Qaramoun, Syria, August 28, 2017. (Credit: Reuters/OMAR SANADIKI)
Where will the money come from?
The IDF alleges that the Syrian BS Oil Services company, owned by the Qaterji family led by Baraa Qaterji, is being used as a front business.
According to the ALMA Research Center, Mr. Qaterzi is suspected of running a front business for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad since at least 2017.
He was accused of establishing and maintaining an extensive network of contacts throughout the Shiite communities of Syria and Lebanon.
Mr. Qaterzi was a key figure in the Syrian front until he was killed in an attack near the Lebanese-Syrian border in mid-July.
Once the money is laundered, Hezbollah’s specialized smuggling unit takes the money to Lebanon and deposits it in an AQAH account.
The Israel Defense Forces also accused Iran of using its embassy in Beirut as a cover for the Revolutionary Guards’ cash smuggling operations. They accused the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force of flying cash from oil sales to Beirut under the cover of diplomacy and handing it directly to Hezbollah.
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Hezbollah takes that cash and reinvests it in Lebanon’s economic enterprises, including reinvesting in gas and industrial activities in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, and Turkey.
These operations will provide more funding for Hezbollah’s terrorist activities.
The IDF then turned to Hezbollah’s smuggling unit leader, Muhammad Jafar Kasir, as its main financial officer.
Kassir was killed in a strike at his Beirut apartment on October 1, and his brother was killed in another strike two days later. The Kashir brothers joined Hezbollah soon after its founding in the early 1980s and contributed to its growth.
The IDF then focused on how Hezbollah exploits the Lebanese people to line its own pockets.
They discussed how AQAH uses the deep financial resources provided by Hezbollah to control key Lebanese institutions and through them bind average Lebanese to war.
They accuse AQAH of using its control over these institutions to create a parallel economy and society, thereby allowing it to further exploit the Lebanese people.
By depositing funds with AQAH, which also operates as an Islamic bank, account holders are depositing funds directly into Hezbollah’s vaults, the IDF claims.
AQAH also provides funding to Hezbollah through its banking operations, which can provide Islamic (0% interest) loans for everything from home purchases to marriage plans, with profits reinvested into the association.
The IDF says the funds will be used directly to finance Hezbollah’s terrorist activities against Israel through the purchase of weapons and missiles.
