Israeli media outlet Ynet, citing “reports from Lebanon,” stated that Beirut Airport security forces inspected an Iranian Mahan Airplane on the night of Thursday, January 4, on suspicion that it was carrying financial aid for Hezbollah.
According to Ynet, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said, “This plane is currently being inspected.”
According to the report, Lebanese officials stated that any money found on the plane would be handed over to the Lebanese authorities.
Ynet reported that an Iranian regime diplomat was detained in the airport’s passenger hall after refusing to allow security officers to inspect his bag. No further details about this diplomat have been released so far.
The inspection of this plane took place after Al Hadath, a Saudi Arabian media outlet, reported on Thursday, citing Western sources, that the Iranian regime “intends to transfer millions of dollars to Hezbollah today via a Mahan Air flight from Tehran to Beirut.”
Hezbollah in Lebanon is an Iran-backed group that has received extensive financial and military support since its founding.
Meanwhile, the news of the Mahan Air plane inspection was widely covered in Iranian regime media, which described the action as “unusual,” “unconventional,” and a “strict inspection.”
In this context, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, announced on December 5 that the Iranian regime was providing financial assistance to the group to compensate “families affected by the war with Israel.”
According to Reuters, he stated that Hezbollah had distributed over $50 million in cash handouts to families affected by the war with Israel.
Reuters noted that Hezbollah is seeking to bolster support for itself following the devastating conflict with Israel.
According to the report, in a pre-recorded speech, Naim Qassem thanked the Iranian regime for its financial aid, stating that payments ranged between $300 and $400 per person, adding that more than 230,000 families had registered for financial assistance.
According to the leader of this Iran-backed group, the total cost of providing payments to these families will be at least $77 million.
There have been multiple reports in the past regarding the Iranian regime’s financial and military aid to its proxy groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
In this regard, Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader who was killed in an Israeli airstrike, stated in July 2016 that all of Hezbollah’s funding came from Iran.
The Iranian regime’s support for these groups has been repeatedly criticized by protesters in Iran over the years. One of the slogans chanted during protests has been: “No to Gaza, No to Lebanon, My Life for Iran.”
