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Israel has raised concerns with the US-led committee monitoring the Lebanon ceasefire, alleging that Iran is sending suitcases filled with US dollars to Hezbollah through Beirut’s international airport, according to the Wall Street Journal, citing an American defence official.
The official said that Israel also claims that Turkish citizens are being utilised to smuggle cash from Istanbul to Beirut.
According to the report, Israel’s complaints have been communicated to the Lebanese government.
A Lebanese security official, as quoted by the Wall Street Journal, said that Beirut airport is under strict military control to thwart smuggling attempts by Hezbollah.
While smuggling large sums of cash through the airport would be challenging, valuable items such as gemstones and diamonds could potentially go undetected, the official said.
The ceasefire agreement reached on November 27 ended two months of intense warfare, which followed months of lower-intensity cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah.
During the campaign, Israel eliminated most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership. It also targeted the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial institution, which has over 30 outlets across Lebanon, which both Jerusalem and Washington say is used by Hezbollah for money laundering and terrorism financing, assertions the group denies.
The Iran-backed terror group began near-daily attacks on northern Israel a day after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by its Palestinian ally Hamas, which triggered the war in Gaza.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsTens of thousands of Israeli residents of the north were displaced by the attacks, with rocket fire eventually spreading to the center of the country.
With inputs from agencies
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