A senior official from the U.S. Treasury has urged Lebanon to stop the flow of funding to Hamas, according to Reuters. Jesse Baker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Middle East, informed Lebanese authorities of "specific concerns" regarding the movement of Hamas funds through Lebanon and Hezbollah funds coming from Iran to Lebanon and then to other regional areas, calling for "preemptive measures to combat this."
He noted that "the groups need a flow of money to pay their fighters’ salaries and conduct military operations, and they cannot achieve their goals otherwise." He mentioned that Lebanon's compliance with global standards for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism is a key pillar in attracting investments from the United States and the rest of the world, which is crucial for pulling the country out of its prolonged crisis.
Baker also called for Lebanon to take stricter measures against the large sector of illegal financial service companies that have thrived alongside the collapse of the formal banking system over four years of economic crisis, including illegal money exchange and unlicensed money transfers.
