Senior Iranian diplomats have transferred large sums of cash to Beirut in recent months using diplomatic passports to funnel money to Hezbollah, according to multiple reports citing Iranian opposition sources.

Iran International, a London-based Persian-language news channel, reported that at least six Iranian diplomats were involved in the operations, carrying suitcases filled with U.S. dollars on commercial flights to Lebanon.

The cash transfers are believed to be part of a broader effort to help Hezbollah rebuild its financial resources and operational capabilities after the group suffered significant setbacks to its leadership, weapons stockpiles, and funding networks.

Those allegedly involved in the transfers include Mohammad Ebrahim Taherianfard, a former Iranian ambassador to Turkey and senior Foreign Ministry official; Mohammad Reza Shirkhodai, a veteran diplomat and former consul general in Pakistan; his brother Hamid Reza Shirkhodai; Reza Nedaei; Abbas Asgari; and Amir-Hamzeh Shiranirad, a former employee of Iran’s embassy in Canada.

According to the reports, Taherianfard traveled to Beirut in January alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi while carrying a suitcase full of cash. He is said to have relied on diplomatic immunity to avoid inspection at Rafik Hariri International Airport.

Similar methods were reportedly used on other occasions, with Iranian diplomats transporting cash directly through Beirut’s main airport.

Opposition Iranian sources also claimed that Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, flew to Beirut in October carrying hundreds of millions of dollars in cash.

The use of Beirut airport as a key transfer hub has reportedly increased after Israeli military strikes disrupted weapons and money smuggling routes used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Syria.

With those overland routes increasingly compromised, direct cash deliveries to Lebanon have emerged as a more prominent channel for financing Hezbollah, the reports said.

Hezbollah’s long-standing influence over security structures at Beirut airport has historically facilitated such transfers, although Lebanese authorities have recently tightened monitoring and inspection procedures.

The alleged cash shipments come at a time when Hezbollah is facing mounting financial strain. The group has reportedly struggled in recent months to pay salaries to its fighters and to finance reconstruction efforts in southern Lebanon, where heavy fighting with Israel caused extensive damage. Rebuilding costs in those areas are estimated to reach billions of dollars.

The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Israel had accused Iran of transferring tens of millions of dollars in cash to Hezbollah through Beirut airport. According to that report, Iranian diplomats and other intermediaries were alleged to have carried suitcases filled with U.S. currency to help the group recover from battlefield and financial losses.

Israel filed formal complaints over the alleged transfers with a U.S.-led ceasefire monitoring committee, while Iran, Turkey, and Hezbollah have denied any wrongdoing.

The newspaper also noted that tighter security controls at Beirut airport and the disruption of supply routes through Syria have made direct cash deliveries an increasingly important method for sustaining Hezbollah’s operations.