Suitcases of cash: Iran finds unorthodox ways to keep funds flowing to terror

“Iranian diplomats arrive in Beirut via commercial flights carrying suitcases stuffed with dollars and hand them over to Hezbollah officials,” according to the report.

By World Israel News Staff 

Financial difficulties facing the Hezbollah terror organization reportedly have caused its chief financier, Iran, “to adopt unorthodox methods to fund the organization.”

“Consequently, cash is used in a large portion of this financial activity,” reports the Israel Hayom newspaper, adding that the Iranian actions have been exposed.

“The American administration recently released a comprehensive document detailing Iran’s efforts to circumvent sanctions,” says the daily.

“Iran’s foreign ministry delivers some $100 million in cash to Hezbollah annually: Iranian diplomats arrive in Beirut via commercial flights carrying suitcases stuffed with dollars and hand them over to Hezbollah officials,” according to the report.

To try to ensure that the money transfers are not scrutinized, “the money itself is categorized as diplomatic mail, while the couriers themselves exploit the immunity provided by their diplomatic passports,” says Israel Hayom.

“The identities of those involved and the transfer dates are known to Western agencies,” according to the Israeli newspaper. Nevertheless, it adds, “the channel is still active.”

Behind the inability to stop the flow of money is the fact that Hezbollah is based in Lebanon, the cash is delivered into the Lebanese banking system, and “Lebanon remains out of bounds,” says Israel Hayom.

“Hezbollah’s entire financial apparatus presently rests on the Lebanese banking system, which no one wants to touch,” Uzi Shaya, a former Israeli intelligence official and the person who led the campaign to shut down Lebanese Canadian Bank, which had been one of Hezbollah’s main sources of funds, told the newspaper.

Israel’s Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon has accused Iran of exploiting “civilian maritime channels, and specifically the Port of Beirut” to also funnel weapons to Hezbollah, highlighting the continuing threat posed by the Tehran regime and its Lebanese proxy along Israel’s northern border.