Transcript [00:00] Hey, everyone. We're going to talk about [00:01] Lebanon in this video. It'll just be an [00:03] update of a number of different aspects [00:04] of what's going on up there. And uh [00:07] obviously the thread connecting them all [00:08] is Lebanon and and the way forward. And [00:11] there's a big picture issue here that of [00:14] course relates to the war in Iran that [00:16] we're going to talk about towards the [00:17] end. So, let's get right to it. Let's [00:19] hit the headlines right away. US insists [00:21] Israel-Lebanon talks moving in a [00:24] positive direction despite setback last [00:27] week. This is from today. [00:29] Um State Department says next round of [00:31] talks to take place in September in Rome [00:33] will focus on road maps for future pilot [00:36] zones for IDF withdrawal. The next round [00:39] of US-mediated talks between Israel and [00:41] Lebanon will take place in early [00:42] September in Rome, a State Department [00:44] official announced Tuesday, today, after [00:46] officials from both countries [00:48] recognized setbacks during last week's [00:51] talks. Last week's round of US-sponsored [00:53] talks ended early on their second day [00:56] amid an escalation in southern Lebanon [00:58] between Israel and Hezbollah. [01:00] Beirut is also frustrated with the pace [01:02] of Israeli withdrawals, feeling that [01:04] Jerusalem is dragging its feet ahead of [01:07] October elections, while Israel argues [01:10] that verification of Hezbollah [01:11] disarmament must be completed first. [01:14] Hello. In the agreement between [01:18] the Lebanese government and the Israelis [01:22] that was signed back in June, it says [01:24] explicitly [01:26] that [01:27] Israel will only withdraw from areas [01:30] that are completely cleared out of [01:31] Hezbollah and with a verification that [01:35] in the pilot zones that they've pulled [01:37] out of, that the Lebanese army is doing [01:39] an effective job. That verification has [01:42] not yet happened. Israel is not bound in [01:45] any way to withdraw any further. The [01:48] Lebanese government, I said this at the [01:50] outset, what we're going to when when [01:51] the deal was signed, I already warned. I [01:53] said this is the way it always works. [01:55] There's going to be pressure, pressure, [01:56] pressure on Israel to withdraw. Israel [01:59] has to hold its ground and not withdraw [02:01] until the conditions are met. [02:02] Nonetheless, a State Department [02:04] spokesperson insisted that the 3 days of [02:06] talks last week were constructive and [02:08] saw the sides reach understandings on [02:10] the parameters that must be met to [02:12] verify that a particular area has been [02:15] cleared of Hezbollah infrastructure in [02:17] order to unlock future pilot zones. [02:19] In June, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a [02:22] framework deal that involves the [02:23] disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual [02:25] withdrawal of Israeli forces from [02:27] Lebanon's south, and the deployment of [02:29] Lebanese armed forces to the region, [02:31] starting in test areas known as pilot [02:33] zones. So far, two such zones exist with [02:36] the ultimate goal being that the pilot [02:37] zones will be replicated to the point [02:39] where Israel has completely pulled out [02:41] of southern Lebanon. [02:44] And let's jump down. At the next round [02:46] of technical talks, Lebanon will present [02:49] detailed road maps for securing new [02:51] areas as implementation proceeds in the [02:54] current pilot zones. The State [02:55] Department spokesperson said that's [02:56] wishful thinking. They want that the [02:58] implementation will continue to proceed [03:00] in the current pilot zones. Let's see [03:02] what happens. We need to work through [03:04] important details, including who [03:06] verifies the LAF's clearance operations. [03:09] Once those details are clear, the [03:10] process will move much faster. This is a [03:13] major issue. The verification. In fact, [03:15] it [03:16] Reports are coming out now that it was [03:18] one of the major issues that was [03:20] discussed at the talks in Rome. Who is [03:24] going to be which countries are going to [03:27] be part of the verification force? It's [03:31] not going to be UNIFIL. UNIFIL's done [03:33] with and over. The Lebanese wanted them [03:35] back. Israel said no. But take a look at [03:37] what it says here. This is a fascinating [03:40] uh and this is what really led me to say [03:41] I got to do an update on Lebanon because [03:43] of this news item. But then there's [03:44] others. I I got some really cool stuff [03:46] for you in this video. So stick around. [03:48] Israel and Lebanon still need to agree [03:50] on a list of countries that will serve [03:51] on a third-party committee tasked with [03:54] verifying that pilot zones have been [03:56] fully demilitarized. [03:58] They Right, Israel and Lebanon need to [04:00] agree. [04:01] An official familiar with the matter [04:02] told the Times of Israel on Monday [04:05] that Israel is rejecting the inclusion [04:07] of countries that have sought to act [04:09] against it in international forums. [04:14] This was also reported on Channel 14 [04:15] cable news in Israel. This is a credible [04:17] report. And listen to the logic behind [04:19] this. I love this. What's Israel saying? [04:23] And and in the report on Channel 14, I [04:25] should say it was even more precise. It [04:27] said that Israel is rejecting the [04:28] inclusion of countries that have been [04:30] part of any [04:33] actions or or moves made against Israel [04:37] in the International Criminal Court, the [04:38] International Court of Justice, in any [04:41] of those international bodies. Countries [04:43] that work against Israel in those [04:44] bodies, Israel will not agree to them [04:46] being part of the verification force. [04:48] And the logic behind it is so sound. [04:51] That's why I love it so much. [04:52] Very simple. If you're part of If you're [04:55] supportive of the the ICJ, the [04:58] International Court of Justice, or the [05:00] ICC, [05:02] if you are in in on board with their [05:05] claims that Prime Minister Netanyahu and [05:08] other Israeli officials and our and our [05:11] chief of staff are guilty of war crimes, [05:14] if you are embracing the genocide [05:16] narrative, that means that you are [05:19] embracing a demonstrable lie about [05:22] Israel. [05:23] And [05:25] there's no [05:26] there's no way that we can trust you to [05:28] be an honest arbiter when it comes to [05:31] um when it comes to verifying that [05:33] Hezbollah has been disarmed. And you [05:35] know, so that Israel can comfortably [05:37] trust that and say that they're willing [05:39] to withdraw. If you're willing to [05:40] endorse a lie about Israel, [05:43] and you might believe it's the truth. [05:45] Doesn't matter. [05:46] If that's your If your worldview is that [05:48] Israel's committing war crimes, that [05:50] Israel is is is committing genocide, [05:52] that Israel's starving the people of [05:53] Gaza when they have more than enough [05:55] food, if if you're willing to embrace [05:57] those lies, [05:59] knowingly or unknowingly, is immaterial, [06:02] then there's no way that we can trust [06:03] you on the verification of Hezbollah [06:05] because your view of the whole situation [06:07] with Israel is skewed. We can't trust [06:09] you. I love the logic behind it. [06:12] The State Department spokesperson [06:13] reiterated Washington's opposition to [06:15] extending the mandate of UNIFIL, that's [06:17] the United Nations [06:19] uh [06:20] interim force in Lebanon, or in whatever [06:22] force they're called, their observer [06:24] force, which it, like Israel, believes [06:26] has not done a sufficient job in [06:28] preventing Hezbollah's rearmament. That [06:30] is an understatement. UNIFIL, over all [06:32] the years it was in South Lebanon, [06:33] actively [06:35] harmed Israel's ability to take actions [06:37] against Hezbollah, to monitor Hezbollah, [06:40] to take preemptive action to stop [06:42] Hezbollah from building its [06:43] infrastructure. They actively aided and [06:46] abetted [06:47] uh [snorts] Hezbollah. [06:48] Quote, "We are not naive about the [06:50] difficulties Hezbollah is trying to [06:51] sabotage the process, and both Israel [06:53] and Lebanon are democracies under [06:55] domestic political stress." Yes, Lebanon [06:58] has a domestic political stress here. [06:59] The Lebanese government, I understand [07:01] where they're coming from. They want to [07:03] show their people that they're getting [07:05] Israel to withdraw, that they're strong, [07:07] that they can defend Lebanon. [07:09] Israel not withdrawing from more areas [07:12] has the has a double It's a double [07:14] whammy for the Lebanese government. A, [07:17] it shows that maybe they're not so [07:20] strong and don't have the ability to [07:22] secure areas that have been cleared of [07:25] Hezbollah by Israel, that have been [07:26] given over to them, the pilot zones. [07:29] And because if Israel's not withdrawing [07:31] anymore, that means that the program is [07:32] not being successful, so it shows that [07:34] they're weak. [07:36] Uh it it you know, so they have that [07:38] problem. [07:40] Um it also shows that they can't get [07:42] Israel to withdraw more so that they [07:43] can't show themselves to be defenders of [07:45] Israel and the claims against them [07:47] by the Shiite elements and other [07:50] anti-Israel elements of Lebanon who say [07:52] that they're collaborating with Israel [07:53] and occupying parts of Lebanon, it only [07:55] feeds that narrative. So, they have a [07:57] very [07:58] they're in a they're in a tight spot [07:59] domestically. But, that doesn't change [08:01] that Israel needs to do what it needs to [08:03] do to defend itself. [08:04] But, the fact that the team sat [08:05] together, communicated directly, and [08:08] generated options is itself structural. [08:10] Change the process is designed to absorb [08:12] those constraints and still move [08:13] forward. First by making the pilot zones [08:15] work, then by expanding. Very nice [08:18] wishful thinking. Now, [08:20] um, [08:22] check out this story which I kind of [08:24] missed. It appeared a week ago, [08:27] uh, five days ago, [08:29] in, um, [08:31] in the New York Post. Hezbollah's summer [08:33] camps for junior jihadis pose a mortal [08:36] threat to peace. Check this out. [08:40] This is from the New York Post. It's [08:42] summer camp season when kids across [08:43] America roast marshmallows and compete [08:45] in games of color war. But, in Lebanon, [08:48] camps run by Iran-backed Hezbollah are [08:50] preparing children for a holy war [08:52] instead. Every summer, the terror [08:54] group's Imam al-Mahdi, [08:57] remember the Mahdi? That's the 12th Imam [08:58] who's supposed to come back, their [08:59] Messiah figure. [09:01] Ira- Ima- The Hezbollah's Imam al-Mahdi [09:04] scout camps indoctrinate Shiite youth [09:07] and even offer paramilitary training to [09:10] older members. [09:11] Sources scores of former Mahdi scouts [09:14] have joined Hezbollah's ranks. The Imam [09:16] al-Mahdi scouts, established in the [09:18] mid-1980s and recognized by the Lebanese [09:20] government in 1992, [09:22] pledge to advance Wilayat al-Faqih, [09:26] which which is the guardianship of the [09:28] jurist. That is the basic under, uh, [09:30] idea underpinning the Iranian regime, [09:33] the teachings of Iran's supreme leader. [09:35] So, they're they're, uh, these scouts at [09:37] the at this Lebanese [09:39] Hezbollah summer camp pledged to advance [09:42] Wilayat al-Faqih, primarily underwritten [09:44] by Islamic by Iran's IRGC. The group now [09:48] boasts 75,000 registered male and female [09:50] scouts. This summer, the youngest Mahdi [09:52] scouts are busy with tug-of-war, soccer [09:54] games, cooking potatoes and campfires, [09:57] the group's website explains. Tween [09:59] members are performing community [10:00] service, clearing rubble from villages [10:03] and preparing care packages for Shiite [10:05] children displaced by the latest war [10:08] Hezbollah launched against Israel. But, [10:09] older scouts have a different, decidedly [10:12] less benign schedule. In July, teenagers [10:15] and counselors took a field trip to Iran [10:17] to attend the funeral of Ayatollah [10:20] Khamenei, who was killed on the first [10:22] day of the Iran war. When scouts turn [10:23] 16, they're offered, quote, literacy [10:26] training, a course in the basics of [10:28] weaponry. Over the summer, the teenage [10:30] scouts receive more intensive training [10:33] in different types of armaments. Early [10:35] on, campers are taught the values of [10:37] resistance and sacrifice. In July, the [10:40] group organized a ceremony to to honor [10:42] former scouts who graduated to join [10:44] Hezbollah and were killed fighting [10:46] Israel. [10:47] Ideological indoctrination starts early, [10:51] judging by the monthly age-appropriate [10:53] professional-grade print and online [10:55] magazines the group produces for its [10:57] cadres. It produces a monthly a monthly [10:59] magazine for them. Throughout the year, [11:01] preschoolers, for example, can enjoy a [11:03] pencil maze that challenges them to help [11:05] a rabbit find its way through a [11:07] labyrinth of mines planted by Israeli [11:10] occupation soldiers, or they can collect [11:12] stickers of Kalashnikovs, grenades, and [11:15] children waving Hezbollah flags. The [11:17] education program appears to be working. [11:19] In October 2025, the Mahdi scouts [11:21] organized a commemoration for former [11:24] Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan [11:26] Nasrallah, who was killed by the IDF in [11:28] September 2024. The event So, this [11:32] commemoration for Hassan Nasrallah [11:33] organized by the scout group, the Mahdi [11:36] scouts, held at a 50,000 seat stadium in [11:39] Beirut, may have been the largest scout [11:42] jamboree ever. Hezbollah media claimed [11:44] 74,000 scouts attended. Even if the [11:47] numbers were exaggerated, it was an [11:49] impressive turnout and a message that [11:51] despite sustaining substantial losses in [11:53] the war against Israel, Hezbollah still [11:55] has recruits waiting to join the fight. [11:57] Washington is working closely with the [11:59] Lebanese government to try to limit [12:00] Iranian funding for its terror cat's [12:03] paw, but there's a missing piece in the [12:05] US strategy, reforming the terrorist [12:07] ideology that the Mahdi scouts put on [12:10] such clear display. It will take time, [12:13] nerve, and political will for the weak [12:15] and fractious Lebanese state to supplant [12:18] Hezbollah institutions in a predominant [12:20] in predominantly Shiite areas. In the [12:22] meantime, just as Beirut has declared [12:24] Hezbollah's weapons illegal, it must ban [12:26] the Mahdi scouts to start dismantling [12:29] the aspiring martyr pipeline. The group [12:32] must also be stripped of its [12:33] international legitimacy. For decades, [12:35] the Mahdi scouts have been a member [12:37] organization of the Lebanese scouting [12:38] federation. Like scouting America, [12:41] formerly the Boy Scouts, the Lebanese [12:43] federation is a constituent member of [12:45] World Scouting, the scout movement's [12:47] global organization. So this Hezbollah [12:49] scout group, Hezbollah summer camp, is [12:51] part of World Scouting. [12:54] Just like the Boy Scouts or the what [12:56] Scouting America is. Wow. Even an arm's [12:58] length affiliation with scouting's [13:00] official body is an embarrassment to [13:01] scouts worldwide, I'll say. [13:04] Uh finally, the Trump administration [13:06] should trigger sanctions against the [13:07] Mahdi scouts by designating it a foreign [13:09] terrorist organization. [13:11] Uh after all, the group openly declares [13:13] allegiance to Iran's supreme leader [13:15] rather than to Lebanon, and its [13:16] ideological agenda threatens Beirut's [13:19] aspirations for full sovereignty. The [13:20] Trump If Trump is serious about [13:22] promoting Israel-Lebanon peace, he [13:24] should target Hezbollah's farm team. And [13:26] this is written by David Schenker, who [13:28] is a senior fellow at the Washington [13:30] Institute for Near East policy. Look, [13:33] the best way you know, this this just [13:35] goes back to the whole issue of [13:38] uh one of one of Trump's stated goals [13:41] when this war started, which you don't [13:43] hear him talk about as much, which is to [13:45] dismantle the proxies, the terror [13:48] network, Iran's proxy network across the [13:51] region. You see, [13:53] the easiest way to dry up summer camp [13:56] and this scouting and all of this stuff [13:58] in Lebanon is just end the Iranian [13:59] regime. That's where all the money for [14:01] this comes from. We're going to get into [14:02] that in the next piece we look at. But [14:04] before we do that, [14:06] uh I just want to make sure that you are [14:07] aware of this very important webinar [14:10] that we are hosting this coming Sunday. [14:12] Sunday, August 16th, 2026, 2:00 p.m. [14:15] Eastern Time, 9:00 p.m. in Israel. But [14:17] if you can't make it, you should still [14:18] register because you'll get an email to [14:21] your inbox that contains the a link to [14:24] the full webinar. You can watch the full [14:26] webinar on your own time. So, it doesn't [14:28] matter if you can't make the time. But [14:29] this coming Sunday, 2:00 p.m. Eastern [14:30] Time, August 16th, [14:32] uh Mamdani's New York City: A Warning to [14:35] America. And our panel is amazing. We [14:37] have former mayor of New York, Rudy [14:39] Giuliani. [14:41] We have Shabbos Kestenbaum, great [14:43] uh a great author and commentator on [14:45] PragerU. [14:47] We have Robert Spencer, the prolific [14:49] author about Islam and uh founder of [14:52] Jihad Watch.org, Robert Spencer. [14:55] And then we have Rabbi Daniel Shonbuch, [14:57] Rabbi for America. He's also a very [14:59] prominent therapist in the New York area [15:01] and has been at the forefront of [15:04] defending the Jewish community against [15:06] uh the Mamdani regime, been part of an [15:09] anti-Mamdani coalition that's growing in [15:11] New York, been really on the forefront [15:12] and the front lines of all that. They're [15:14] going to be joining us for this amazing [15:16] webinar. Uh and make sure that you [15:18] register. You can register at the link [15:19] in the description of this video. Or you [15:21] can go to israel365.com/mamdani [15:25] or you can scan the QR code [15:28] that is on your screen. So, you don't [15:29] want to miss the webinar. Make sure you [15:32] sign up. [15:33] Okay. [15:34] Uh let's get back to uh what we're [15:36] talking about here in Lebanon. [15:38] Uh [15:39] this next item is about the financial [15:42] war against Hezbollah. Very interesting [15:44] piece that ran uh just 2 days ago in [15:46] Ynet. It's mostly quoting a New York [15:48] Times piece, not just missiles, the [15:50] silent war that Hezbollah's coffers. [15:53] When Israel launched its new war against [15:55] Hezbollah last March, the first targets [15:57] the IDF warned would be attacked [15:59] were not missile depots or underground [16:01] command centers, they were banks. [16:03] Israeli fighter jets destroyed more than [16:04] a dozen branches of Al-Qard Al-Hasan. [16:09] They [16:09] bank branches they went after. The [16:11] financial institution associated with [16:13] Hezbollah that has for years been [16:15] described as the terrorist [16:16] organization's de facto bank. Money [16:18] changers that Israel said were used by [16:20] Iran to transfer funds to Hezbollah were [16:22] later attacked as were gas stations that [16:24] generated revenue for the organization. [16:27] The message, according to an extensive [16:29] New York Times report published Sunday, [16:31] was clear. Israel is no longer satisfied [16:33] with striking Hezbollah's military [16:35] arsenal. It also seeks to hit the money [16:37] that enables the group to pay fighters, [16:39] rebuild infrastructure, transfer [16:41] compensation, and operate the extensive [16:43] welfare network on which its support [16:46] among Lebanon's Shiite public has relied [16:48] for decades. [16:50] And summer camps like we just saw. The [16:52] strikes are only part of a broader [16:53] campaign being waged by Israel and the [16:55] United States with growing cooperation [16:57] from the Lebanese government aimed at [16:59] blocking Hezbollah's funding channels, [17:01] especially those leading from Iran. [17:03] According to documents reviewed by the [17:05] newspaper and interviews with Lebanese, [17:07] American, and Israeli officials, as well [17:09] as people inside Hezbollah, the [17:10] organization is now facing the most [17:12] severe financial pressure it has [17:14] experienced in years. Excellent. At the [17:17] time at the same time, the Times [17:19] emphasized that Hezbollah's financial [17:20] system is highly secretive, so it [17:22] remains unclear how deeply the campaign [17:25] has damaged its overall operations. [17:27] Hezbollah and Iran have previously shown [17:29] an ability to adapt to pressure, recover [17:32] militarily, and find new ways to keep [17:34] money flowing, meaning the campaign is [17:36] far from decided. The distress is [17:38] already being felt on the ground. [17:39] Hezbollah officials and recipients of [17:41] the organization's assistance said that [17:43] while salaries for tens of thousands of [17:45] its fighters are still mostly being [17:47] paid, some social services have already [17:49] been reduced as the organization is [17:51] forced to prioritize its spending. [17:53] Hezbollah's problem is especially acute [17:55] because for decades it built a kind of [17:57] state within a state in Lebanon, a [17:59] system that fed, housed, and paid its [18:01] supporters, operated schools, hospitals, [18:04] a communication network, generated [18:06] revenue from gas stations and [18:07] pharmaceutical companies, and with [18:09] Iranian funding amassed an arsenal [18:11] stronger than that of the Lebanese army. [18:13] That social system has been a central [18:16] element of Hezbollah's power since its [18:18] founding in 1982, and over the years [18:21] turned it into the crown jewel of Iran's [18:23] proxy network in the Middle East. Now, [18:25] however, Hezbollah's being forced to [18:27] direct more and more resources towards [18:29] restoring its military capabilities [18:31] after Israeli attacks exacted [18:34] a heavy price. [18:36] The organization spokesman, Youssef [18:38] al-Zein, acknowledged in May that [18:40] Hezbollah had stopped compensation [18:41] payments it had promised to supporters [18:43] whose homes were damaged or destroyed. [18:45] That's so dangerous for them [18:46] domestically. They promised compensation [18:49] for its supporters who were living in [18:51] those areas that ended up getting [18:52] struck, and they haven't been able to [18:53] pay. While it tried to deal with the [18:55] needs of a hundreds of thousands of [18:56] people displaced by the war, after the [18:58] 2024 campaign, Hezbollah announced that [19:01] al-Qard al-Hasan would distribute 12,000 [19:04] to 14,000 dollars each to families whose [19:07] homes had been destroyed, but the [19:08] payments were repeatedly delayed and [19:10] eventually stopped entirely. [19:13] The scale of the battle's demands and [19:14] displacement have placed significant [19:16] burdens on Hezbollah. Al-Zein said, [19:18] according to him, resources are now [19:20] being managed according to priority. He [19:22] insisted that the organization is [19:24] capable of withstanding the pressure, [19:26] but acknowledged there is undoubtedly [19:27] pressure. [19:29] Hassan, a taxi driver from southern [19:31] Lebanon whose daughter was married to a [19:32] Hezbollah fighter killed in the recent [19:34] war, told the Times that she still [19:37] receives the stipend intended for the [19:38] families of fallen fighters, but that [19:40] the organization no longer funds certain [19:42] medical procedures. He himself, like [19:44] thousands of Hezbollah supporters whose [19:46] homes were destroyed, is still waiting [19:48] for the compensation he was prob- he was [19:50] promised. He's not getting it. According [19:52] to US State Department estimate from [19:53] before the war, Iran transferred, listen [19:56] to this, Iran transferred around $700 [19:58] million to Hezbollah each year, most of [20:01] an annual budget estimated at about a [20:03] billion. According to the Lebanese, [20:06] American, and Israeli officials, Tehran [20:08] even increased its financial assistance [20:11] to the organization over the past year. [20:13] Let me remind you that the 12-day war is [20:17] over a year ago. [20:19] And that means that while their economy [20:21] was in a shambles, so bad that it led to [20:24] mass protests towards the end of the [20:27] year. People did not have water, did not [20:28] have electricity. [20:31] And what did the Iranian regime do with [20:33] the money they got when when after the [20:35] 12-day war Trump lifted some of the [20:37] sanctions and allowed them to sell their [20:39] oil? They sent a billion dollars [20:42] to Hezbollah. The cost of the war, [20:45] reconstruction, and care for hundreds of [20:47] thousands of displaced people have [20:48] swollen to such an extent that even [20:50] those sums are no longer enough to cover [20:52] Hezbollah's needs. The campaign against [20:54] Hezbollah sources of funding accelerated [20:56] in late 2024, [20:58] shortly after a US-mediated ceasefire [21:01] halted the previous war with Israel. The [21:03] regime of Bashar Assad in Syria fell, a [21:06] development that left Hezbollah more [21:08] isolated from Tehran than ever. [21:10] Because for years Syria served as the [21:12] main land route for transferring weapons [21:14] and money from Iran to Lebanon. With [21:17] that route severed, cuz the Assad regime [21:19] fell, that route was cut off, Tehran was [21:21] forced to quickly look for alternative [21:23] ways to fund the organization. [21:25] According to a US official and senior [21:27] Lebanese official, one of the main [21:29] channels was Beirut's International [21:31] Airport, [21:32] which for years uh act uh was [21:35] effectively operated under Hezbollah [21:36] control and was used to transfer money [21:39] and weapons from Iran. Early last year, [21:42] oops. [21:45] Early last year, [21:48] um [21:53] Hold on a second. [21:55] I just lost [21:58] I just lost um [22:01] It just jumped down. Here we go. [22:05] I just [22:07] Early last year, US officials passed to [22:10] the Lebanese government an Israeli [22:11] warning that Iran was sending suitcases [22:14] loaded with dollars in cash to Hezbollah [22:16] on civilian flights to Beirut. In some [22:19] cases, even through Iranian diplomats. [22:21] Following the warning, I mean this is [22:22] unbelievable. Their people were starving [22:25] and they're shipping [22:26] plane loads of cash into Beirut. [22:29] Unbelievable. Lebanon suspended all [22:31] flights. [22:32] So uh following that warning, Lebanon [22:34] suspended all flights from Iran, and the [22:36] measure remains in force. There's no [22:37] flights from Iran to Lebanon anymore. [22:40] Airport employees identified with [22:41] Hezbollah were removed from their post. [22:43] They were fired. And the authorities [22:45] stationed security personnel there who [22:47] operate in coordination with US [22:49] officials. This is very interesting. So [22:51] US uh so so they got rid of all the [22:54] Hezbollah personnel in the airport and [22:56] they now coordinate with US officials [22:57] making sure that nothing comes in from [22:59] Iran. Washington then turned its [23:01] attention to Lebanon's Central Bank, an [23:03] institution that operated for years [23:05] under limited oversight. Lebanon's [23:07] economy is largely cash-based and [23:09] according to the US Treasury Department, [23:11] Hezbollah exploited the system to [23:13] launder illicit funds and transfer money [23:15] from Iran. According to the New York [23:17] Times, the Trump administration also [23:19] worked to influence the appointment of a [23:21] new Central Bank governor. The governor [23:23] who was chosen, Riad Salameh, quickly [23:26] proved that he was willing to act [23:27] against Hezbollah. He removed or fired [23:30] senior officials suspected of ties to [23:32] the organization, ordered his office [23:34] searched for listening devices, and [23:36] refused to use computers provided by the [23:38] bank out of concern he was being [23:40] monitored. The Central Bank later opened [23:42] an investigation into the country's [23:44] large financial services companies on [23:46] suspicion that Hezbollah had used them [23:48] to transfer funds. Since then, Lebanese [23:50] authorities have tightened oversight of [23:52] money transfers. Brian Nelson, a former [23:55] US Treasury [23:57] senior US Treasury official who was [23:58] responsible for sanctions against [24:00] Hezbollah during the Biden [24:01] administration, said the organization [24:03] was able to generate significant amounts [24:05] of money on a continuous basis through [24:08] the abuse of these networks. Hezbollah [24:10] rejects the allegations and the [24:11] organization's media office calls these [24:13] claims baseless. As the large money [24:16] transfer companies came under tighter [24:17] scrutiny, Hezbollah relied more heavily [24:20] on a less regulated network of money [24:22] changers. According to senior Israeli [24:24] security official and another person [24:26] familiar with the organization's [24:27] financial system, that network quickly [24:29] became the main channel through which [24:31] Iran currently funds Hezbollah. The [24:34] money passes from Iran through the [24:36] United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Iraq [24:39] through hawala, an informal mechanism of [24:41] transfers between intermediaries in [24:44] which the cash itself does not have to [24:45] cross borders. So, these other Arab [24:48] countries are aiding and abetting the [24:51] Iranians getting money over to Hezbollah [24:54] through the financial networks. Last [24:56] November, the US Treasury Department [24:57] announced, as part of sanctions imposed [24:59] on Lebanese money changers, that Iran [25:01] had already managed that year to funnel [25:03] about a billion to Hezbollah, most of it [25:05] through the hawala system. One of the [25:07] sanctioned money changers, Hassan [25:09] Moukalled, who the US Treasury described [25:11] as a key financial advisor to Hezbollah, [25:14] acknowledged that international pressure [25:16] makes it harder to transfer funds, but [25:18] said the organization is adapting. In a [25:21] country like Lebanon, where there's [25:22] large amounts of cash, there are always [25:23] possibilities. Hezbollah has meanwhile [25:25] been forced to search for additional [25:27] sources of money. In February, the US [25:29] Treasury Department said officials at [25:31] Al-Qard al-Hassan had established a [25:33] network of gold trading companies in [25:35] effort to raise cash. Account books [25:38] reviewed by the New York Times and [25:39] assessment by analysts who track [25:41] Hezbollah's cash economy indicated that [25:43] gold sales increased over the past year. [25:46] So, they're selling gold. According to [25:48] Israeli and American officials, one [25:49] reason was that Israeli strikes [25:51] destroyed a significant portion of [25:53] Hezbollah's foreign currency and gold [25:54] reserves. At the same time, Lebanon [25:57] barred banks and brokerage firms in the [25:59] country from doing business with Al-Qard [26:01] al-Hassan, pushing it even further away [26:03] from the former financial system. The [26:05] Trump administration is now pressing the [26:07] Lebanese government to shut the [26:09] institution down entirely. Hundreds of [26:11] thousands of Lebanese, many of them [26:13] Hezbollah supporters, have relied for [26:15] years on Al-Qard al-Hassan for [26:17] interest-free loans, war compensation, [26:19] and other financial services. The [26:21] institution presents itself as a [26:23] charitable loan association rather than [26:25] a bank, and its director has previously [26:27] claimed that Hezbollah's own funds are [26:28] managed separately. [26:31] Okay, I know that was a long article, [26:33] but look at what is going on here. We [26:35] see that there is a serious move. [26:37] Uh there's been move a lot going on. I [26:39] didn't know about a lot of this stuff, [26:40] but you see what the Israelis have been [26:42] doing, what the Americans have been [26:43] doing. They're choking out Hezbollah's [26:45] money as much as they can, but [26:47] meanwhile, the Iranian regime is still [26:48] finding ways to get money to them. [26:50] This only underscores the the the fact [26:54] that the only real way to end the proxy [26:57] network is to get rid of the Iranian [26:58] regime. See, it's all about cutting off [27:00] the the pipeline of cash. Yes, will [27:03] there still be illicit terrorist [27:05] activity? This whole international [27:07] network is not just going to vanish if [27:08] the Iranian regime falls, but it will be [27:10] so much weaker. It won't have its its [27:13] its main oxygen, its main source of [27:15] funding. [27:16] So, with all of these, you know, put [27:17] this together with economic fury going [27:19] on, you know, with the economic pressure [27:21] being placed on the Iranian regime right [27:22] now, [27:24] and uh [27:25] and you know, this is this is actually [27:26] quite significant. Um and uh and you [27:29] know, so so we might with all of the [27:32] talk about like, you know, um [27:34] you know, the pilot zones and Israeli [27:36] withdrawal and what's going to happen [27:37] with Hezbollah and the Hezbollah summer [27:39] camp and they're recruiting people. [27:40] They're also being choked out more and [27:43] more and more by um by the authorities [27:46] in Lebanon in coordination with the [27:48] Israelis and the Americans. That doesn't [27:49] mean that they're going to be easy to [27:51] deal with. There's a lot of Shiites, a [27:52] lot of pro-Hezbollah people, and a lot [27:54] of weapons in Lebanon. There are many [27:57] pro-Hezbollah [27:58] uh uh members of the Lebanese armed [28:01] forces. There there could end up being a [28:03] civil war in Lebanon over this. Let's [28:05] not uh let's not uh [28:07] uh ignore that possibility. [28:09] Um but uh yeah, I thought this was a [28:12] fascinating article about all the things [28:13] that are being done to choke out [28:15] Hezbollah, and we can only hope for the [28:16] best in that regard. All right, thanks [28:18] for watching. God bless.
