Turkey is helping Iran smuggle funds to Hezbollah, FM Sa'ar tells US senators

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators on Monday, warning them about an “intensified” Iranian effort to smuggle money to Hezbollah to rehabilitate the group following its devastating war against Israel over the last year. 

Sa'ar also noted that "there are worrying developments” in the Iranian nuclear project which stem from Iran's desire to “compensate” for the weakening of its regional power in the war – by acquiring nuclear weapons. 

“There is an intensified Iranian effort to smuggle money into Lebanon for Hezbollah to restore its power and status,” Sa’ar told the senators, according to his office.

“This effort is being carried out, among other channels, via Turkey and with its cooperation,” he said, without providing additional details. 

Israel recently accused Iran of exploiting international civilian flights in order to transfer money to the Hezbollah terror group.

Last week, IDF Arabic spokesman, Avichay Adraee, shared a post on 𝕏, accusing Iran and Hezbollah of transferring funds through flights. 

“The Iranian Quds Force and the terrorist Hezbollah have been exploiting international flights over the past few weeks in an attempt to smuggle funds allocated to arm Hezbollah with the aim of carrying out attacks against the State of Israel,” Adraee wrote.

“The IDF remains in contact with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism and continuously transmits specific information to thwart these transfers. Despite the efforts made, we estimate that some of these money smuggling attempts have succeeded.” 

“The IDF will not allow Hezbollah to arm itself and will act through all means at its disposal to enforce the implementation of the ceasefire understandings in order to ensure the security of the citizens of the State of Israel,” Adraee stated. 

In recent months, Israel has prevented Iranian flights from landing in the Lebanese capital in order to prevent Hezbollah from rearming and regrouping after more than a year of war with the Jewish state. 

During his meeting with the senators, Sa’ar warned that Hezbollah’s rehabilitation would hinder Lebanon’s prospects for a better future, and weaken the Lebanese army’s ability to serve as the country's strongest military force. He stressed that this effort must be stopped.

The meeting was attended by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK), as well as Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Andy Kim (D-NJ). 

The foreign minister told the senators that if Lebanon abides by the ceasefire agreement by enforcing the removal of Hezbollah forces south of the Litani River, “there will be no need” for the Israeli army to stay on the five strategic hills it continues to hold in south Lebanon. 

Sa'ar also reiterated his opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state, saying that it "will be a Hamas state that will endanger Israel." He added, "On October 7, we realized that a concept that denies foreign sovereignty and foreign armed forces west of the Jordan is essential to Israel's security.” 

Regarding the Houthi terrorist threat from Yemen, Sa'ar noted that the group is posing a challenge to the world order, global trade and freedom of navigation.

The Houthis have been disrupting international shipping and trade since November 2023, launching attacks on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Their attacks began shortly after the Israel-Hamas war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, with the group claiming it is acting in solidarity with Gaza.

"This is not only an Israeli problem – it is a regional and global problem. The Houthis are jihadists, and we must be careful when using the term 'deterrence' against them. A regional and international coalition is needed to defeat them.”