Lebanon’s Iranian proxy group, Hezbollah, is paid $700 million annually by the Islamic Republic, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke about the terror group’s funding during his Jerusalem Day address at the state ceremony held at Ammunition Hill.
“Iran transfers $700 million to Hezbollah per annum. But it does so by various methods, including fraud,” Netanyahu said. “In this framework, the Iranian Foreign Ministry transfers over $100 million to terrorist organizations.”
Netanyahu said the money is transferred under diplomatic cover, by seemingly innocent means, to Lebanon and from there to Hezbollah.
“Our neighbors know it; all of the Arab states know it. This is one of the things that is bringing them to a renewed closeness with us,” the prime minister said.
“We are not underestimating the threats from Iran, but we are not deterred by them,” Netanyahu added, “as we proved yesterday.”
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Israeli warplanes attacked Syrian military sites near Damascus early Sunday morning, killing at least 10 soldiers and wounding a number of others, after two rockets were fired at the Golan Heights in northern Israel. One rocket exploded in Israeli territory.
