Hezbollah lays off workers for failing to pay full salaries: sources
US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook said in an interview with Lebanese MTV that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization and those who provide it with financial support can face criminal prosecution.
Mass layoff
The sources said that the party has been expelling employees from its institutions for several months, as it has been unable to fully pay the salaries of its fighters.
Iran is considered the number one financial and military supporter of Hezbollah militias in Lebanon. A US official estimated the Iranian aid to the group at about $700 million a year, according to a Bloomberg's report.
Baghdad's support
Another part of Hezbollah's funding reportedly comes from the Baghdad government, commissioned by Iran, through smuggled oil trade or through the budget of the Iran-backed IMIS.
However, Lebanese sources have confirmed the suspension of these funds under US pressure since the term of former Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.
Donations
In March, Lebanon’s Hezbollah called on its supporters to donate money, in light of the increasing pressure from Western sanctions against the group, which aim to isolate it financially.
“I announce today that the resistance is in need of its (popular base),” Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said, adding that donations were needed to support the group’s activities, Reuters reported.
The Shiite Muslim Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government. It is also heavily armed and has sent fighters to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
