A New York Times investigation details how the United States, Israel, and Lebanon coordinated to dismantle Hezbollah's financial infrastructure, including strikes on the al-Qard al-Hasan bank, blocking Iranian smuggling routes, and tightening central bank oversight. The pressure has forced Hezbollah to freeze payments to its supporters for the first time.
The New York Times published a detailed investigation Monday morning, revealing the scope of the coordinated campaign by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon to dismantle Hezbollah's financial infrastructure. The report, which follows a previous NYT story on the same topic earlier today, provides new specifics on the multi-pronged strategy.
According to the investigation, the campaign includes direct Israeli airstrikes on branches of the al-Qard al-Hasan bank, exchange houses, and other financial assets linked to Hezbollah. Simultaneously, smuggling routes from Iran have been cut off – both overland following the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and by air after Beirut halted flights from Tehran and expelled IRGC operatives from the airport. In parallel, Lebanon's central bank, under new governor Karim Soweid, has ousted senior officials suspected of Hezbollah ties and tightened oversight on money laundering and the cash economy.
The report notes that the cumulative pressure has brought Hezbollah to unprecedented economic distress, forcing the organization to freeze payments to its supporters for the first time. This marks a significant escalation in the financial war against the Iran-backed group, which has long relied on its social services network to maintain political influence in Lebanon.
As The Zioneer reported earlier this morning, the NYT previously detailed how the financial pressure had already forced Hezbollah to cut social and medical services while preserving military salaries. The new investigation provides the operational details of the joint campaign behind that pressure.
3 developments
- DevelopingHezbollah-linked newspaper: US and Israel preparing for new round of fighting with Iran
- StrongUS Treasury targets 10 individuals in Hezbollah's Iran-backed cash smuggling network
- StrongHezbollah, Iran expected to try to torpedo Israel-Lebanon framework, analyst warns
- StrongGulf states and US impose sanctions on Hezbollah-linked entities and officials
Source and signal
- Open-source intake