Lebanon seizes $2.5 million bound for Hezbollah, sources say

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon seized $2.5 million in cash from a man arriving from Turkey, the finance ministry said on Friday, with three sources saying the money was destined for militant group Hezbollah.

One of the sources said it was the first time such a seizure had been made. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.

“The detainee and the seized funds will be handed over to the investigation division at the General Directorate of General Security,” Lebanon’s finance ministry said in a statement, without making a reference to Hezbollah.

The terms of a ceasefire agreed by Israel and Hezbollah in November require the Lebanese army to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.

Last month, Israel’s U.N. ambassador accused Hezbollah of trying “to regain strength and rearm with the assistance of Iran”. A senior Lebanese source close to Hezbollah denied the allegations.

Lebanon halted an Iranian flight to Beirut earlier this month after the Israeli military accused Tehran of using civilian aircraft to smuggle cash to Beirut to arm Hezbollah.

(Reporting by Maya Gebeily, Timour Azhari and Laila Bassam; Editing by Sharon Singleton and Andrew Heavens)