WASHINGTON – Senators on both sides of the aisle expressed deep concern over Hezbollah’s narcotics trafficking in Latin America on Tuesday as the terrorist organization looks for new funding avenues, as its previous sources start to dwindle due to Israel’s decimation of its leadership and the reduction of Iranian funds.
“Iran’s looking more inward, and Hezbollah is cash starved,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) at a hearing for the Caucus on International Narcotics Control.
Hezbollah has extensively collaborated with Venezuela in securing arms, infrastructure, identification documents and pipelines for moving operatives and equipment, according to a study shared by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Experts also highlighted Hezbollah’s engagement with Venezuela’s free trade zones. This comes amid the Trump administration conducting bombings on Venezuelan “drug boats” and after the administration declared an “armed conflict” on drug cartels in early September. The administration has not stated a clear motive or clarified the number of people killed in the bombings.
“Officially, our position is we’re there to stop narco-terrorists,” a senior administrator from the White House told Axios. “We’re going to blow up their boats. And we’re going to be patient about it. No one is in any rush.”
Expert witnesses like Matthew Levitt, the director of Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, also described Hezbollah’s actions in Latin America as “narco-terrorism.”
Levitt said studying Hezbollah’s previous actions can help predict their future ones.
“When Hezbollah is under stress, they traditionally reach out to their list of financial networks around the world,” Dr. Levitt said. “We know that we can anticipate, not that they will, but that they are doubling and tripling down on that network right now.”
Levitt did not provide any current evidence that Hezbollah has recently accelerated its efforts.
Marshall Billingslea, former Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, advised not to turn a blind eye on Venezuela because it’s a “willing safe haven” to Hezbollah.
Cornyn expressed hope that this hearing would provide clarity on the Trump administration’s recent actions.
“I think this will also help people understand why the Trump administration and Secretary Rubio have focused so much on Venezuela,” Cornyn said.
