Lebanon Arrests Man with $2.5 Million in Cash Upon Entry into the Country

The Lebanese Ministry of Finance has announced that $2.5 million in cash was seized from a man who entered Lebanon from Turkey at Beirut Airport. Reuters reported on Friday, March 1, citing three sources, that the money was intended to be sent to the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. One of these sources stated that this is the first time such a seizure has occurred. Hezbollah has not yet responded to this news. The Lebanese Ministry of Finance, in a statement regarding this matter, did not mention Hezbollah by name, stating: 'The arrested individual and the seized funds will be handed over to the investigation department of the General Directorate of Public Security.' Before the Reuters report was published, Lebanese networks LBC and Al-Jadeed reported, citing the Beirut airport security apparatus, that security agents in Lebanon arrested a man named 'Mohammad H.' who arrived on a Pegasus Airlines flight from Turkey at 9 AM on Friday for carrying $2.5 million in cash. Last month, Israel's permanent representative to the UN accused Hezbollah of trying to regain power and arm itself with the help of Iran. The ceasefire conditions agreed upon in November between Israel and Hezbollah require the Lebanese army to be stationed in southern Lebanon so that Israeli and Hezbollah forces withdraw from the area. Hezbollah is both a militant group and a political party that controls a large part of southern Lebanon. The United States considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization, while the European Union has blacklisted its military wing but does not classify its political wing as terrorist. The political branch of Hezbollah also has representatives in the Lebanese parliament.