Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Monday accused Turkey of assisting Iran in funneling funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon.
During a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem with a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators, which included seven senators and Deputy Middle East Special Envoy Morgan Ortagus, Sa’ar warned that Iran has intensified its efforts to finance Hezbollah, with the active involvement of Turkey.
“There is an increased Iranian effort to smuggle money to Lebanon for Hezbollah in order to restore its power and status, including via Turkey and through its cooperation,” said Sa’ar.
Allegations of cash transfers to Hezbollah and the threat of an Israeli strike on Beirut’s airport prompted the suspension of flights between Iran and Lebanon last week, drawing a sharp response from the Tehran-backed group, which dispatched operatives to riot outside the airport. UNIFIL personnel were attacked during the protest.
Israel’s Channel 14 reported on Tuesday that it is believed that tens of millions of dollars have already reached Hezbollah through Turkey. Iran is also exploring other smuggling routes to fund its Lebanese terror proxy.
Although Turkey and Iran have historically backed opposing factions—Turkey supported the Sunni rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria, while Iran backed Hezbollah—the two countries are cooperating strategically, according to the Israeli outlet.
A senior political source told Channel 14 reporter Tamir Morag: “Turkey sees itself as the leader of the Sunni world, and as such, it plays a ‘big players’ game against Shi’ite Iran. The fact that their proxies fought each other does not prevent cooperation between Tehran and Istanbul, advancing what both countries perceive as a goal for the entire Islamic world.”