The Masnaa crossing point at the border with Syria. AFP illustration photo.
Lebanese authorities have reportedly seized $4 million that unknown individuals attempted to bring into the country through Syria, according to the pan-Arab daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, which cited a "Lebanese official source."
The cash was found in a vehicle attempting to cross into Lebanon through an illegal smuggling route along the northern border, the newspaper reported. A Lebanese Army checkpoint stopped the car, but its occupants fled, abandoning bags containing the money. Al-Sharq Al-Awsat did not specify when the seizure took place.
Contacted by L'Orient-Le Jour, neither the General Security nor the Lebanese Army confirmed the information.
In an article published Sunday, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that a Lebanese businessman with ties to a political leader in North Lebanon — known for his proximity to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad — claimed ownership of the money. He said it was generated by investments in Syria.
A former minister close to the same pro-Assad leader also reportedly intervened to have the funds returned, but the Court of Cassation ordered their seizure, the newspaper reported.
Possible link to Hezbollah
The incident comes after Lebanese authorities seized $2.5 million in cash at Beirut's international airport on Feb. 28. That money — brought in by a traveler arriving from Turkey — was claimed by the Supreme Shiite Council, Lebanon's highest religious authority for the Shiite community. Security sources suggested it was intended for Hezbollah.
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat speculated that the money seized in North Lebanon may have been sent by Iran to Hezbollah via Iraq and Syria. It could also belong to individuals linked to Syria’s former ruling elite.
Hezbollah’s financial situation has worsened after 13 months of war with Israel and the collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria, which cut off a key supply route between Tehran and Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The group has faced growing difficulties in securing funding due to tighter border controls, increased Western scrutiny, and Israeli efforts to disrupt alternative smuggling routes through Turkey.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hezbollah of using Beirut’s airport to receive weapons and funds from Iran. On Feb. 17, Lebanese authorities indefinitely extended the suspension of flights to and from Tehran after denying landing permits to two Mahan Air flights, citing Israeli threats to bomb the airport. The decision sparked protests by Hezbollah supporters, who blocked the road leading to the facility.
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat also reported that “hundreds of thousands of dollars” were recently seized at an illegal border crossing in the Bekaa Valley. A Lebanese businessman — allegedly the brother of a North Lebanon MP — intervened, and authorities returned the funds, according to the newspaper.