The Biden administration withheld from Congress a report on Hezbollah’s financial empire, information lawmakers could use to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terrorist group.
Congress ordered the State Departments and the Treasury in early 2019 to publish a publicly available report on Hezbollah leadership funding channels under legislation known as the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2018. expected a report to be released 180 days after the law was passed, it was passed and as of April 2019 the Trump administration had not released the report and the Biden administration is also holding it back.
Republican lawmakers and Congressional sources familiar with the matter say the report has become critical amid reports that the Biden administration is trying to ease economic pressure on Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon as the country grapples with a massive liquidity crisis.
Justify the withdrawal of sanctions
Republican Representative Pat Fallon, a member of the House Armed Services Commission, told Free Beacon that the report could be used to target Hezbollah leaders and suppress their efforts to steal money and international aid for the Lebanese. This information will also make it difficult for the Biden administration to justify lifting sanctions against party leaders and provide the country with an economic bailout that could further enrich the terrorist group.
As part of the 2018 legislation, Congress released a public report on the estimated net worth of Hezbollah’s top leaders, including Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and his closest associates. The report was supposed to include information on Hezbollah associates, including those working in the Lebanese government, which continues to serve the Iranian-backed movement.
The size of Hezbollah’s financial empire
Congressional sources say the Biden administration does not want to reveal the size of Hezbollah’s financial empire because it is evaluating compatibility with international plans to provide Lebanon with a bailout program. in cash.
The matter has received more scrutiny from Congress amid separate reports that the Biden administration is willing to forgo economic sanctions against the Assad regime in Syria to facilitate an energy deal with Lebanon.
A high-level Congressional source who worked on the original Free Beacon legislation said the report could help explain to the world and the Lebanese people how much money Hezbollah is stealing to finance its terrorist project and amass weapons.
The source added: “Lebanon is collapsing due to Hezbollah corruption, which is why this report is so important. It is one of the few reports Congress has ever designed about Hezbollah that we have asked to be publicly available on the Internet. for the world to see. The world deserves to see how much Hassan Nasrallah has been stolen. “And his gang is for their people. We should not reward Hezbollah and its friend Assad for the corruption of Hezbollah. “
Congressional Republicans are also pushing for a package of new far-reaching sanctions against Hezbollah that they say will cut the group’s access to funding. The findings of the Hezbollah report will help lawmakers decide which funding channels to close.
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