The Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, spoke at the third crypto conference of the Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter-Terror Financing. In his speech, Gallant revealed a mission that he approved a few weeks ago to confiscate terrorist funds that had been laundered using digital currencies and were intended for use by the terrorist organizations financed by Iran.
Thanks to the exposure of the terrorist network, the security establishment confiscated millions of dollars from Hezbollah. "Since its establishment, the State of Israel has faced complex security threats. With the years and technological changes, the threats change and become more sophisticated. Alongside the permanent and uncompromising fight against terrorism and its agents, a new arena of combat has been added, the fight against the resources behind terrorism; and in simple words: the fight against terrorist funds," said Gallant.
Israel's DM Gallant reveals Hezbollah, Iranian money laundering for terrorism #Iran #Hezbollah #PalestinianTerrorism #Cryptocurrency https://t.co/3MN1oUGfKg via @ i24NEWS_EN pic.twitter.com/ILt26rGXgt
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) June 27, 2023
He added, "It's not an easy task, which becomes more complex when it comes to digital currencies. Whoever finances terrorism, or maintains a financial relationship with terrorist operatives, must know that he is a target, just like whoever directs terrorism and sends it." According to him, "In recent months, at the National Headquarters for Economic Combating Terrorism in the Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with the intelligence and enforcement agencies, we have developed new capabilities that have brought significant achievements on this front as well."
"I would like to reveal here for the first time that a few days ago an extensive and unprecedented operation ended to expose a terrorist financing axis using digital currencies. This is the first event of this magnitude, in which an infrastructure led by Hezbollah and the Iranian Quds Force that transferred millions of dollars for use by terrorist elements was thwarted. Since the beginning of the year, Hezbollah members, the Quds Force, and Syrian elements, using digital currencies to receive funds in this way from third parties, mainly money changers, with whom illegal transactions were carried out, which were used by the terrorist organizations for their current activities," Gallant revealed.
Andy Vermaut shares:Gallant Warns Hezbollah, IRGC’s Quds Force are Funding Terror with Digital Currency: … the terror funds laundered by… Thank you. #AndyVermautFightsTerrorismEveryDay #TerroristsAreNeverReligiousOrSpiritualBeings #StopTheHateNow https://t.co/jPrECM0nBI pic.twitter.com/Psd655NNGE
— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) June 27, 2023
"By virtue of my authority as the Minister of Defense, I issued an order that allowed the seizure of the funds, their confiscation, and the transfer of the money to the coffers of the State of Israel. In doing so, we effectively cut off the flow of terrorist funds in this direction. As you can see, this time too there is a clear line behind the terrorist moves that begins with Iran. Iran is the financier, the coach, and the spreader of terrorism against Israel and many countries around the world, both directly and through its proxies at the borders. We will continue to lead a broad national activity to combat the financial infrastructure of terrorist organizations, of terrorist operatives, and of parties involved in terrorist financing," he concluded.
