According to a U.S. defense official and persons familiar with the situation, Israel has now reportedly accused Iranian diplomats and others of transporting tens of millions of dollars packed inside luggage to the militant organization Hezbollah through the Beirut airport.
Israel has complained to the U.S.-led committee that is in charge of a cease-fire that has stopped combat in Lebanon that Turkish nationals have also flown from Istanbul to Beirut with money for the U.S.-designated terrorist group, in addition to the Iranian envoys.
Speaking on behalf of the cease-fire committee, the U.S. official stated that the complaints have been forwarded to the Lebanese government by the committee, which does not decide on any violations.
The United States, France, Israel, Lebanon, and the United Nations are represented on the panel.
Some states’ representatives on the committee stated that they either knew about Iran’s use of the airport to smuggle money or thought the accusations were true.
According to the cease-fire agreement, Lebanon must guard its ports of entry and stop the transfer of weapons and related supplies to organizations such as Hezbollah. Cash deliveries are not specifically covered under the terms.
Tehran doesn’t smuggle money into Lebanon via passenger jets, Behnam Khosravi, a diplomat at the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon, told Iranian official media last month.
Large sums of money passing through Istanbul Airport, according to Turkish officials, would have been picked up by X-ray machines or other security equipment.
According to the officials, no third party had brought up the matter with Turkey, and no such moves had been discovered.
Hezbollah’s cash transfers from Iran may exacerbate tensions between Israel and the two Shia allies.
Israel eliminated the majority of Hezbollah’s top leaders, killed or wounded a large number of its members, and severely damaged its missile arsenal during two months of intense combat last fall.
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