The Israel Defence Forces(IDF) said Wednesday that it had killed a key Hezbollah financial operative who worked closely with Iran. Haytham Abdullah Bakri, head of the “Al-Sadiq” Currency Exchange in southern Lebanon, was eliminated in an Israeli Air Force strike on Tuesday. The elimination also sheds light on new details about how the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps moves money to the terror group. According to the IDF, Bakri played a central role in Hezbollah’s financial operations, acting as a conduit for funds transferred from the IRGC’s Quds Force.
What IDF Said
“This currency exchange functioned as a storage and transfer mechanism for funds from Iran to Hezbollah,” the IDF said in a statement. “These funds were used for purchasing weapons, manufacturing means, paying salaries, and supporting terrorist activity.” The force also said that the strike was based on precise intelligence and is part of a broader campaign targeting Iran’s financial support network for its regional proxies.
Behnam Shahriyari
Among the Iranian commanders assassinated during 12 days of Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear and military facilities was Behnam Shahriyari, the commander of the Quds Force’s Unit 190, inside Iran. Shahriyari was responsible for orchestrating the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars annually to Iranian-backed militias, using complex money-laundering routes through currency exchanges in Turkey, Iraq, the UAE, and Lebanon.
“These two eliminations are a significant blow to the Iranian-Hezbollah financial axis,” the IDF said.
Under the terms of the ceasefire that went into effect on November 27, the Iran-backed Hezbollah is supposed to withdraw its armed presence from areas of southern Lebanon. According to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah is forbidden from operating in southern Lebanon south of the Litani River.
Israel Strike On Iran
Israel launched preemptive strikes against Iranian nuclear sites on June 13, citing intelligence that Tehran had reached “a point of no return” in its pursuit of nuclear weapons. According to Israeli defence officials, Iran has developed the capacity to rapidly enrich uranium and assemble nuclear bombs, with sufficient fissile material for up to 15 weapons.
Israeli intelligence also exposed a covert program to complete all components of a nuclear device. The strikes marked a dramatic escalation in what officials describe as a broader Iranian strategy combining nuclear development, missile proliferation, and proxy warfare aimed at Israel’s destruction.
