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Financing Terrorism

Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (October 5-12, 2026)

In a statement marking three years since the October 7, 2023 terrorist invasion and massacre, Hezbollah declared it had been a "legitimate act of resistance" and boasted that Israel had failed to eliminate Hamas and the "resistance organizations."; Hezbollah secretary general Na'im Qassem said the organization had no concessions to offer in return for an Israeli withdrawal, but was willing to discuss internal issues, including the state monopoly on weapons, within constitutional frameworks and without external dictates; Hezbollah is reportedly preparing for renewed fighting against Israel; Lebanese internal security forces seized a commercial vehicle carrying hundreds of kilograms of explosives. The circumstances of the shipment are under investigation, with suspicions that it was part of preparations for a series of assassinations; Hezbollah reportedly received $200 million from Iran to assist displaced persons and was preparing to announce a program for housing payments. It was also claimed that the organization raked in approximately $40 million a month from smuggling, counterfeiting and the Lebanese state budget.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (September 24 – October 6, 2026)

IDF forces destroyed two tunnels in the south and north of the Gaza Strip and eliminated 20 terrorist operatives. An attempt to kill Ali al-'Amoudi, the most senior Hamas figure in the Gaza Strip, failed; The head of the Hamas political bureau, Khalil al-Hayya, claimed that the movement was prepared to implement the ceasefire roadmap, but demanded it be viewed as a single, indivisible package; A report by the Hamas ministry of health in the Gaza Strip noted that in 2025 the population of the Gaza Strip increased and the number of deaths not resulting from war was identical to the figures recorded through 2023; A stabbing attack at a farm in north of Ramallah was prevented. Two Palestinian terrorists trying to run over IDF soldiers near Hebron were eliminated. 
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (September 23 – October 5, 2026)

Hezbollah marked two years since the deaths of former secretary general Nasrallah and his successor, Safi al-Din. Current secretary general Qassem noted Hezbollah's commitment to the path of the "resistance" and conditioned a dialogue on disarmament on an Israeli withdrawal from the south and the rescinding of the government decisions restricting the organization; IDF forces continued operations against Hezbollah infrastructure in the security zone in south Lebanon. Hezbollah launched an explosive UAV at the forces; there were no casualties; Lebanese Prime Minister presented a plan for a gradual, reciprocal framework which linked together an Israeli withdrawal, the expansion of the Lebanese army's responsibility and the implementation of the state's monopoly on weapons; Hezbollah said reconstruction was the responsibility of the state, but it would provide its own assistance to families according to its available resources; Representatives of a Lebanese Shi'ite organization opposing Hezbollah's dominance met with American officials; A Hamas representative in Lebanon rejected the demand to disarm.
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Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (September 16-24, 2026)

 IDF forces exposed a tunnel in the central Gaza Strip and eliminated more than ten Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists, including the Hamas finance director and operatives involved in the October 7, 2023 terrorist invasion and massacre. An IDF engineering vehicle drove over an explosive device in the Yellow Line area. There were no casualties; A Hamas spokesman denied claims of violations or that the movement was planning to abduct Israeli soldiers or civilians; The High representative of the Board of Peace said the sensitive political situation caused by the upcoming elections in Israel was making it difficult to advance the ceasefire agreement; One Israeli was killed and an IDF reserve soldier was critically wounded in three terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria. Two Israeli Arabs were charged with supporting Hamas.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (September 7-15, 2026)

The IDF destroyed Hezbollah's underground facility on the Ali al-Taher Ridge and continued attacks on Hezbollah targets in various areas of south Lebanon, Senior Hezbollah figures downplayed the significance of the facility's destruction, but promoted the narrative of the "heroic battle" of the operatives who had been trapped on the ridge; Hezbollah reportedly changed the deployment of its forces and weapons because of the IDF attacks, but fearing an Israeli response, took no action; Residents of Hezbollah strongholds in south Lebanon called on the state authorities to expand their authority and deploy the security forces out of concern of an expansion of IDF activity; Direct talks between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations are expected to resume in October 2026, but the United States is currently promoting a meeting between the countries' ambassadors in Washington and considering additional coordination mechanisms, including military ones; The council of Arab League foreign ministers condemned Hezbollah's activity, held it responsible for the war with Israel and expressed support for the position of the Lebanese government; The Lebanese prime minister said the cost of the two most recent wars had reached more than $20 billion.
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Spotlight on Terrorism: Hezbollah and Lebanon (August 31-September 7, 2026)

Israel released five Lebanese prisoners to promote direct bilateral negotiations despite the continuing dispute over the framework agreement and the pilot zones; Direct negotiations with Israel and the Lebanese government's plan for a state monopoly on weapons have caused a rift between the Hezbollah leadership and the president's office and army command; The IDF gained operational control of the Ali al-Taher Ridge, and attacked Hezbollah infrastructure, including weapons depots, after explosive UAVs were launched at IDF forces; there were no Israeli casualties. In Lebanon, more than 20 people were reported killed in the attacks, including Hezbollah terrorist operatives; Hezbollah now relies on young operatives who were trained for command positions because of the elimination of veteran commanders; Senior Hezbollah figures said they were proud of the alliance with Iran and confident the Lebanese issue was Tehran's top priority in its negotiations with the United States.
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Financing Terrorism

A terrorist organization must have sources of financing to finance and carry out all of its activity and goals. Without financing sources, it will be difficult for the organization to exist and carry out its goals. Without financing, the organization will not be able to handle, support and equip its operatives, and prepare and maintain a reasonable infrastructure for its activity.

Terrorist financing can be divided into two main goals: financing a focused act of terrorism with a clear goal. In this case, the financing activity will be limited in scope, amount and time. The other type of goal is a broader goal of establishing, maintaining, and cultivating the terrorist infrastructure, organizational structure, purchasing, ongoing expenses, payment of salaries and more. In this case, the financing activity is not limited in time, ceiling or financial scope.

Most of the money for terrorism financing comes from terror-sponsoring countries, among which Iran is prominent (and is involved in the financing of terrorism carried out by Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad). Terrorist organizations have additional sources of financing, such as revenues from criminal activity (Hezbollah), the sale of oil products, and the collection of taxes from the population (ISIS). Other organizations finance terrorism with funds obtained from sources such as donations, charities, commercial profits, etc., which were diverted to terrorism financing.

In recent years there has been growing recognition of the importance of thwarting terrorist financing channels as part of the effort to thwart terrorist activity. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the international struggle against terror financing gained momentum, and it was decided to integrate the international struggle against terrorism into the struggle against terrorism financing and even to streamline it through legislation and counterterrorism activities. However, as the struggle against terrorism financing increases, the methods of terrorism financing become more sophisticated and diverse, making it more difficult to monitor the sources of terrorism financing and to cope with them.