The United States has announced a multi-million-dollar reward for information about the operations of Hezbollah in the Triple Border area.
US President Donald Trump’s government confirmed Monday that it is offering a reward of up to US$10 million for information leading to the “disruption of the financial mechanisms” of the pro-Iranian Lebanese group in the region straddling Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay in South America.
The US Department of State, through its Rewards for Justice (RFJ) programme, is seeking information that could help identify and dismantle income sources, financial facilitators, institutions or companies linked to the group, which Washington has declared a terrorist organisation.
The illicit activities under investigation include money-laundering, drug-trafficking, charcoal and oil smuggling, illegal diamond-trading, document and US dollar counterfeiting, and trafficking in luxury goods and cigarettes.
The US State Department also wants information about the use of legitimate commercial activity as fronts for the financing of operations, including construction, import–export businesses and real-estate transactions.
Shell companies used to procure dual-use technologies on behalf of the group are also under investigation, said a statement.
The United States designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organisation” in October 1997. Washington maintains that the group receives weapons, training and funding from Iran.
It further accuses Hezbollah of generating “around US$1 billion annually through a combination of direct financial support from Iran, international business and investment, donor networks, corruption and money-laundering activities.”
“We encourage anyone with information about Hezbollah’s financial networks in the Tri-Border Area (among those South American countries) to get in touch,” the US State Department said.
Since its creation in 1984, the Rewards for Justice programme has paid out over US$250 million to more than 125 individuals worldwide who have helped to “address threats to US national security,” continued the statement.
US authorities urged anyone with relevant information to make contact via Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp at +1-202-702-7843, or through a secure Tor-based communication line.
– TIMES/NA/AFP
Comments