Iran sends Hezbollah $200 million to aid displaced Lebanese: Report

Hezbollah has received about $200 million from Iran to provide financial assistance to Lebanese families displaced by the war with Israel. According to a report by news agency Reuters, this marks the first known Iranian funding specifically secured for such aid during the conflict.The funds are expected to be used for an initial payment of $3,000 to around 50,000 families. Priority will be given to people whose villages have been destroyed or remain inaccessible because of Israeli occupation, Reuters reported, citing sources.The money was moved through intermediaries who charged a 20% fee because of the risks involved in dealing with Hezbollah, and the fee was four times the normal rate, the report said. A Hezbollah official confirmed that an amount had been secured and said a plan for distributing it would be announced in the coming days.Iran's foreign ministry, its permanent mission in Geneva, the US Treasury Department and the Lebanese government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.The funding comes as Hezbollah faces growing financial difficulties after Israel's bombardment and invasion of Lebanon uprooted hundreds of thousands of its Shi'ite Muslim constituents. The group entered the regional war in support of Iran on March 2.Despite the scale of the displacement, Hezbollah has so far provided little to no assistance to many of those affected. The group, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, has suffered heavy Israeli blows in two wars since 2024 and is designated a terrorist organisation by the US.Iran has continued to support Hezbollah financially despite years of US sanctions. The US Treasury Department said Tehran transferred $1 billion to the group in the first 10 months of 2025. Iran has never acknowledged financing Hezbollah.The issue could be particularly sensitive inside Iran as the country faces worsening economic hardship. Tehran's policy of funding regional proxy groups has previously fuelled anger among domestic protesters.Iran had promised Hezbollah more funding after Tehran signed an interim deal with Washington in June that allowed Iran to sell its oil, Reuters reported at the time. The agreement collapsed in July.Washington has since stepped up economic pressure on Tehran by tightening sanctions and imposing a naval blockade aimed at restricting Iranian oil exports.Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a speech last month that the group would soon contribute to a project to house thousands of people displaced by the war, using “available resources and donations”. He did not provide details.Hezbollah's ability to provide local services and post-war assistance has historically helped maintain its support among its constituents. After its 2006 war with Israel, the group quickly distributed cash payments to affected families and helped rebuild parts of Beirut's southern suburbs, its stronghold.This time, however, there has been little sign of reconstruction. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said last month that rebuilding after the two wars since 2024 could cost more than $27 billion.The report did not provide details on how the latest funds reached Lebanon. One said Hezbollah was finding it increasingly difficult to move money through financial companies that had previously handled such transfers.Companies based in Iraq and Dubai were no longer an option, while those in Turkey were also coming under pressure, the report said.Hezbollah's foes believe money is currently the group's “oxygen”, the report added. Despite the difficulty in securing funds, the group has continued paying its fighters and the families of those killed in combat, the report said.The war has exacted a heavy toll on Lebanon's Shi'ite community, from which Hezbollah draws much of its support. Israel has razed villages across areas it has seized in southern Lebanon, saying the move is intended to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah attacks.Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed more than 4,300 people since March 2, according to Lebanon's health ministry. The ministry's toll does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Hezbollah has not disclosed the number of fighters killed. Reuters reported on May 4 that several thousand Hezbollah fighters had been killed in the war.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.