Israeli public broadcaster Kan News reported on Monday that Hezbollah requested approximately $2 billion in annual funding from Iran to rebuild after the war, but Tehran agreed to transfer only about $1 billion.
Kan’s Arab affairs correspondent Roey Kais said the funds arrive regularly, mainly by air and that Hezbollah members continue to receive high salaries by Lebanese standards, but rebuilding the arsenal destroyed in the conflict remains costly.
“In recent months, Hezbollah’s top leaders and the Iranian Quds Force sat down to negotiate how much money Tehran would transfer this year to Hezbollah,” Kais said.
“To this day, there are still complaints within Hezbollah’s ranks that the money arriving from the Iranians is insufficient for the organization’s needs, but despite that, it must be emphasized that everything agreed upon with the Iranians arrives precisely and regularly,” he added in a post on X.
The report comes amid scrutiny of Iran’s financial support for Hezbollah, which a US official said has totaled around $1 billion so far this year despite heavy sanctions on Tehran.
US officials targeted what they describe as Hezbollah’s “cash network,” last month, sanctioning alleged financiers who move Iranian funds through exchange houses and front companies to help the group rebuild its military infrastructure and pay fighters.
United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) policy director Jason Brodsky seized on the Kan report as further evidence that sanctions are biting, saying pressure remains a useful tool.
“The next time you hear arguments that sanctions and pressure don’t work, remember this thread. If there were no sanctions, Iran would be providing Hezbollah with more,” Brodsky posted on X.
Hezbollah has been trying to restore its capabilities after a bruising confrontation with Israel, which killed thousands of people and severely damaged the group’s command structure and arsenal.
Lebanese leaders, under international pressure, have meanwhile floated plans to disarm militias and extend state authority in the south, but Hezbollah has resisted efforts to curb its arsenal, arguing that its weapons remain essential to deter Israel.