In an article published this week in Foreign Policy, Michael Jacobson and Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argue that urging the Lebanese Army to disarm Hezbollah is not enough; the international community must also work to dismantle the group’s financial network.
Although Israeli strikes have severely damaged Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, the group is now working to rebuild its capabilities. Amid regional upheaval, Hezbollah can no longer rely on traditional routes for financial and logistical support. In Beirut, the government has taken unprecedented measures, including banning Iranian planes from landing and tightening oversight of suspicious financial transfers. In Syria, the new authorities are also seeking to curb the flow of Iranian weapons and cash into Lebanon.
Faced with these restrictions, Hezbollah is attempting to reactivate its longstanding international financing and procurement networks. According to the authors, the organization has for decades woven a global network stretching from West Africa to South America, via Europe and Asia. These networks allow it to raise funds through money laundering, drug trafficking, counterfeiting, and smuggling.
Last October, the U.S. Treasury Department warned of a “network of financiers” linked to Hezbollah operating in West Africa. In South America, the group generates significant income from its operations in the so-called “Tri-Border Area” – between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, – a region notorious for trafficking and money laundering.
At the same time, Hezbollah is seeking to acquire military and dual-use materials through front companies. In 2024, several European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain, foiled a large-scale attempt to purchase components intended for the production of explosive drones.
Jacobson and Levitt stress that the international community must step up efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s financial and logistical networks. Otherwise, they warn, the group will remain an uncontrollable armed and political force in Lebanon and beyond.
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