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An online Lebanese newspaper reported that a Lebanese Shi'ite council has requested that smuggled funds confiscated at Beirut International Airport be transferred to the council, despite the fact that the case is suspected of being an attempt to launder money from Iran to Hizbullah.
Attempted Money Laundering
On March 3, 2025, the online newspaper, Al-Modon, reported that the Supreme Islamic Shi'ite Council in Lebanon has requested that authorities transfer to the council smuggled funds that were recently seized at the International Airport in Beirut.[1]
According to the Al-Modon, authorities at the airport seized two and a half million US dollars from Lebanese national Muhammad Arif Yassin, who attempted to transport the funds into Lebanon from Turkey without a statement of declaration. Yassin reportedly travelled from Lebanon to Turkey on February 27, where he received a bag at a Turkish airport from an Iranian national and then attempted to reenter Lebanon.
On March 3, the Lebanese judiciary filed a lawsuit against Yassin, charging him with attempted money laundering. However, following the seizure of the funds, the Lebanese judiciary reportedly received a letter from the Supreme Islamic Shi'ite Council in Lebanon, which claimed ownership of the funds and requested that they be transferred to the council.
Al-Modon noted that the incident was suspected of being an attempt to smuggle funds from Iran to Lebanese Hizbullah, especially in light of the fact that Lebanese authorities previously prevented an Iranian plane from landing at the airport in Beirut after it was suspected that it was carrying millions of dollars to be delivered to Hezbollah.
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