US offers $10 million for intel on Hezbollah finance network

The US State Department has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information that could help disrupt Hezbollah's financial operations in Latin America, with a particular focus on the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

In a statement on Monday, the department said its Rewards for Justice program, run by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, is seeking details that would expose the financial mechanisms used by Hezbollah in the region.

According to the statement, Hezbollah and its financiers are engaged in a wide range of illicit activities across the tri-border area. These reportedly include money laundering, drug trafficking, and the smuggling of commodities such as charcoal, oil, and diamonds.

The group is also said to profit from trafficking in cigarettes, luxury goods, and bulk cash, as well as from document forgery and counterfeiting US currency. In addition, Hezbollah allegedly benefits from commercial enterprises across Latin America, including construction, import-export businesses, and real estate ventures.

According to the US statement, Hezbollah also benefits from commercial enterprises across Latin America, including construction, import and export operations, and real estate sales.

The State Department said rewards may be offered for information that leads to the identification or disruption of Hezbollah’s sources of income, financial facilitators, and donor networks.

Authorities are also seeking intelligence on financial institutions or currency exchange offices that enable Hezbollah's transactions, companies or investments owned or controlled by the group and its operatives, and front companies involved in international procurement of dual-use technologies on Hezbollah’s behalf.

The program further targets information related to criminal schemes carried out by Hezbollah members or supporters that generate income for the organisation.

The US, a key military and political backer of Israel, providing weapons during its assaults on Gaza and its war on Lebanon, designated Hezbollah a "foreign terrorist organisation" under the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1997, and as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" entity in 2001.

Monday’s statement also reiterated that Hezbollah is headquartered in Lebanon and continues to receive funding, weapons, and training from Iran, which has been listed as a "state sponsor of terrorism" by the US since 1984.

The State Department estimates that Hezbollah generates roughly $1 billion annually, reportedly through a combination of direct support from Iran, international business interests, donor networks, corruption, and laundering operations.