The French weekly magazine “Le Point” released an extensive investigative series titled “Islamism, Terrorism, and Cocaine – The Billions of Hezbollah,” with a cover page photo depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah.
The 20-page file, divided into five headlines, investigated Hezbollah’s illegal and worldwide financing methods, spanning Iran, Colombia, Lebanon, and France.
Le Point described Hezbollah as a “multinational organization of terrorism, crime, and drug trafficking,” tracing its drug trafficking networks in several South American countries, including Colombia, Venezuela, and Paraguay, which it has controlled for over thirty years.
“According to experts, the laundering of cocaine money has now become Hezbollah’s second-largest source of income, after subsidies from Tehran,” Le Point said.
Another uncommon funding source for the pro-Iranian party is cryptocurrency, where “1.7 million dollars in digital assets were seized in June 2023.”
Furthermore, the report analyzed Hezbollah’s status as a “militia” that has superseded a “quasi-failed” Lebanese state by fighting Israel from southern Lebanon since October 8, in support of Hamas. The file also dissects the Middle East’s situation against the backdrop of the Gaza war, as well as the risks of a regional escalation.
In addition, the magazine explores the “tentacles” of the pro-Iranian group through its conveyors and supporters in France, which it qualified as “a discreet network, monitored but tolerated by the authorities.”
The file also comprised a takeout titled “five lessons to be learned” from the Iranian attack on Israel, which the French Weekly described as “a game of deterrence” that has become “dangerous.”
