Israeli Officials Assess Iran's Annual Aid to Hezbollah Has Quadrupled

Israeli media reported on Friday, September 15, citing an assessment from military-security officials in the country, that Iran has quadrupled its aid to Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the Jerusalem Post and the Walla news website, the assessment indicates that Iran's annual financial assistance to Hezbollah, which was $200 million, has now reached $830 million. The assessment also states that Iran has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, and provides between $60 to $70 million annually to Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military's assessment was published on Thursday, September 14, at the end of a military exercise that had been taking place in the northern part of the country over the past two weeks. Israeli military commanders stated that military operations against Hezbollah were the main goal of these unprecedented exercises in the last 19 years. While Israel expresses concern over Hezbollah and Iranian aid to this important military ally in the region, Hezbollah declared 'victory' in the Syrian war this week. According to the Israeli military's assessment, 7,000 of the 22,000 Hezbollah militants have fought for the survival of Bashar al-Assad's regime during the approximately seven-year civil war, suffering 2,000 casualties. The Israeli Prime Minister has recently expressed 'concern' and 'warning' about what he calls the 'increasing military presence' of Iran and Hezbollah near the Syrian-Israeli border at the end of the Syrian war. Meanwhile, according to the Israeli news website Ynet, a senior official accompanying Benjamin Netanyahu on his current trip to the U.S. labeled the Israeli media reports regarding Russia's rejection of Israel's request to distance Hezbollah and Iranian forces from the Syrian-Israeli border as incorrect. Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not accept Netanyahu's request during their meeting last month in Sochi. In this context, the Jerusalem Post reported that Israel has requested a 'demilitarized zone' in the Golan Heights up to about sixty kilometers from the Israeli border, but Putin stated that a demilitarized zone could be established at a distance of five kilometers. Simultaneously, the Jerusalem Post linked the increase in Iranian financial aid to Hezbollah to the JCPOA, suggesting that it stems from the improvement of Iran's economic situation following the lifting of U.S. and European sanctions and the release of $100 billion of Iran's frozen assets. The Israeli military's assessment regarding the quadrupling of Iran's annual aid to Hezbollah was published ahead of the Israeli Prime Minister's meeting with the U.S. President. Benjamin Netanyahu, after recent travels to several South American countries, is arriving in New York from Mexico City. Israel Katz, Israel's Minister of Information, stated this week that Netanyahu will present three options regarding the JCPOA in his meeting with Trump: 'cancellation, suspension, or complete change.' Netanyahu himself emphasized this week in Argentina that 'we clearly state that the JCPOA is a bad agreement; it should either be canceled or amended.' Meanwhile, Haaretz reported on Friday that there is a disagreement between the Israeli political leadership and the country's security and intelligence agencies regarding Netanyahu's and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's approach to pressuring the U.S. to exit the JCPOA. According to Haaretz, Israeli security agencies believe that the U.S. exit from the JCPOA would worsen the situation, contrary to Netanyahu and Lieberman's views. Yukiya Amano, the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, emphasized in the agency's latest report this week that Iran has adhered to its commitments under the JCPOA. The U.S. also extended the suspension of sanctions against Iran under the JCPOA for the third time since Trump took office, but the U.S. President stated on Thursday that his policy regarding the JCPOA would soon be clarified. Trump added that his administration would not tolerate any 'violation of the spirit of the JCPOA' by Iran. The U.S. considers Iran's missile development program and Tehran's policies regarding the Middle East as part of the 'violation of the spirit of the JCPOA.'