File photo of Iran’s Mehan airline plane. According to the WSJ Israel claims that Iran is smuggling funds to Hezbollah on Iranian planes that fly to Lebanon and threatened to bomb the airport.
Israel has filed complaints alleging Iran is smuggling suitcases containing tens of millions of U.S. dollars into Lebanon. The money, Israel says, is being used to fund the militant group Hezbollah, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The complaints come as a ceasefire holds between Israel and Hezbollah. However, one condition of the agreement is that Lebanon’s government secure its ports of entry to prevent money and other supplies from reaching Hezbollah.
Israel and Hezbollah battled for months last year. The two sides traded rocket fire while Israeli troops entered southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based
The two sides reached a ceasefire in November, following more than six weeks of fighting on the ground.
Although Israel had to withdraw from southern Lebanon 60 days after the ceasefire, that deadline passed last Sunday, Jan. 26, with Israeli troops not withdrawing.
The White House said, however, that the ceasefire will continue until at least Feb. 18.
But Iran providing Hezbollah with cash fits into Iran’s common patterns, as the country faces a wide array of sanctions from the U.S. and European countries.
In strikes last fall, Israel targeted sites where Hezbollah held money and gold, including branches of a bank facing U.S. sanctions.
Iran has committed to funding Hezbollah even as sanctions have drained its financial resources. The group also plays a major role in fighting Israel on Iran’s behalf.
The Wall Street Journal reported Iran had been funneling the money to Hezbollah through Syria. Still, it noted that the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad last month could make it harder for Iranian money to reach the group.
Israel threatens to bomb Beirut airport
The WSJ reportedly d Friday that it has learned from a U.S. defense official and other sources that Israel threatened to strike Beirut International Airport if Iran keeps using it to smuggle aid to Hezbollah.
According to the daily’s sources, Israel claimed that Iranian envoys have been flying from Tehran to Beirut’s airport with suitcases stuffed with U.S. dollars and that Turkish citizens have also been smuggling money from Istanbul to Beirut.
The report said a Lebanese security official assured that Beirut’s airport is under tight control to prevent smuggling cash to Hezbollah but that valuable items like gemstones and diamonds could pass undetected.