The U.S. Forms Special Task Force to Investigate Hezbollah's Role in 'Drug Terrorism'

On Thursday, January 21, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the formation of a special task force to investigate what has been described as Hezbollah's role in 'drug terrorism'. According to a report by Agence France-Presse, this task force includes specialists in money laundering, drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime, focusing on Hezbollah and monitoring its influence in Africa and Central and South America. The U.S. Department of Justice emphasized that it will spare no effort to eliminate the threat of terrorist organizations against American citizens and to prevent the devastating wave caused by the drug crisis. The department's statement further indicates that this task force aims to prevent the flow of money to terrorist organizations and disrupt the international drug trafficking network. Agence France-Presse writes that this action is part of efforts to counter the increasing influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Middle East, which is considered Hezbollah's main supporter. However, Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated that the formation of a group to investigate Hezbollah's role in drug terrorism is a response to criticisms directed at former President Barack Obama, who has been accused of overlooking the global Hezbollah network in exchange for reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's statement, this task force will begin its work by assessing evidence and documentation obtained from existing investigations, including cases related to 'Project Cassandra', a project legally established to monitor Hezbollah's role in drug trafficking and related activities. U.S. officials and Washington's allies, including Saudi Arabia and Israel, have consistently warned about Hezbollah's increasing power around the world. On Wednesday, Juan Zarate, a former U.S. Treasury official responsible for monitoring sanctions, told Congress that Hezbollah is engaged in global drug trafficking and money laundering. He addressed the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stating that recent efforts by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Treasury Department to dismantle Hezbollah's commercial network have led to the discovery of significant leads, resulting in the arrest of several members of this network worldwide. The United States has targeted Hezbollah with sanctions for years, but recently Politico reported that senior officials in the Treasury and Justice Departments during Obama's presidency prevented arrests and sanctions against individuals suspected of criminal activities in Hezbollah's networks, hoping that Hezbollah would play a new role as an important regional ally of Iran. The report claimed that not only was oversight of Hezbollah's activities in Latin America halted, but some of Hezbollah's actions in the U.S. were also taken off the radar to prevent Iran from leaving the negotiating table.