Lebanese authorities seized $2.5 million in cash from a man arriving from Turkey, the finance ministry announced Friday, while three security sources claimed the funds were intended for the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
One source described the seizure as unprecedented, while Hezbollah has not issued a statement regarding the incident.
“The detainee and the seized funds will be handed over to the investigation division at the General Directorate of General Security,” Lebanon’s finance ministry said in a statement, without mentioning Hezbollah.
The development comes amid heightened tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, as cross-border strikes escalate between the two adversaries.
Israel’s military said Friday that it killed a Hezbollah weapons smuggler in a strike on eastern Lebanon a day earlier.
Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed one fatality and one injury in an airstrike targeting a vehicle in Hermel, an area near the Syrian border. The Israeli military accused the slain militant of transporting weapons from Syria to Lebanon.
A fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, brokered in November, mandates the Lebanese army’s deployment in southern Lebanon as both sides gradually withdraw forces. However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated Thursday that Israeli troops would remain in southern Lebanon “indefinitely.”
Last month, Israel’s UN ambassador accused Hezbollah of using Iranian support to rebuild its arsenal. A senior Lebanese source close to Hezbollah denied the allegations.
Earlier this month, Lebanon halted an Iranian flight to Beirut after Israel accused Tehran of using civilian aircraft to smuggle cash for Hezbollah’s military operations.
The cash seizure adds another layer to the ongoing conflict, as Lebanese authorities investigate possible financial links between Hezbollah and external supporters.
