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IDF reveals how Hezbollah makes money

IDF reveals how Hezbollah makes money

The IDF announced Monday that Hezbollah derives its finances from a variety of sources, including outright theft and a direct shipment of money from Tehran.

This came after the IDF attacked the physical infrastructure of Hezbollah’s main financial instrument, the Al-Qard Al-Hasan (AQAH) Association, on Monday.

The IDF said Hezbollah raises its funds either through theft from Lebanese civilians or through direct cash injections from Iran’s Finance Ministry.

One way the money gets into Lebanon is through cash smuggling through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, which smuggles oil and money into Syria, where it is passed on to Syrian companies for laundering.

Hezbollah and Syrian flags fly on a military vehicle in West Qalamoun, Syria, August 28, 2017. (Source: REUTERS/OMAR SANADIKI)

Where does the money come from?

The IDF claims that the Syrian company “BS Oil Services” is being used as a front company owned by the Katerji family headed by Baraa Katerji.

According to the Alma Research Center, Katerji has been accused of running front deals for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad since at least 2017.

He was accused of establishing and maintaining an extensive network of contacts with the Shiite communities in Syria and Lebanon.

Katerji was the main figure on the Syrian front until he was killed in an attack near the Lebanese-Syrian border in mid-July.

Once the money is laundered, Hezbollah’s specialized smuggling unit takes the money to Lebanon, where it is deposited into an AQAH account.

The IDF also accused Iran of using its embassy in Beirut as a cover for IRGC cash smuggling operations. They accused the IRGC’s Quds Force of funneling cash from oil sales into Beirut under diplomatic cover and then handing it directly to Hezbollah.

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Hezbollah takes the money and reinvests it in economic ventures in Lebanon, including reinvestment in gas and industrial activities in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Turkey.

These ventures then bring in more money for Hezbollah’s terrorist activities.

The IDF then focused on Muhammed Jafar Kasir, the leader of Hezbollah’s smuggling unit, as its main financial manager.

Kasir was killed in a strike at his home in Beirut on October 1, followed two days later by another strike in which his brother was killed. The Kasir brothers were instrumental in Hezbollah’s growth, having joined the group shortly after its founding in the early 1980s.

The IDF then focused on how Hezbollah exploits the Lebanese people to line its pockets.

They discussed how AQAH uses the financial resources provided by Hezbollah to take control of key Lebanese institutions and use them to bind the average Lebanese citizen to their war.

They accuse AQAH of using its control over these institutions to create a parallel economy and society that allows it to further exploit the Lebanese.

By depositing money into AQAH, which also functions as an Islamic bank, account holders deposit money directly into Hezbollah’s coffers, the IDF claims.

AQAH also makes money for Hezbollah through its banking operations, which can provide Islamic loans (0% interest) for everything from buying a house to planning a marriage, with profits reinvested into the association.

According to the IDF, this money is then used directly to finance Hezbollah’s terror campaign against Israel through the purchase of weapons and missiles.