There are issues the Lebanese government must address urgently, the first of which is the case of the Al-Quard Al-Hassan association, a Hezbollah-affiliated non-profit financial institution, which is under U.S. sanctions as one of Hezbollah’s financing tools.

The association has acted, and continues to act, illegally in many areas. Here, we ask the Minister of Interior and the government: what prevents placing on the Cabinet’s agenda the complete revocation of the association’s license, given the scale of violations committed over the years?

This is a matter of principle before it is political or even legal. The issue must be raised, especially after the inclusion of the company “Jood,” which specializes in buying and selling gold, on the U.S. Treasury sanctions list. The responsibilities of “Benevolent Loan” were transferred to it as an alternative that could legally handle pledged gold transactions. However, the new sanctions imposed yesterday on “Jood,” whose owner has previously faced U.S. penalties, require the government not to ignore a reality heading toward escalation in confronting Hezbollah’s financing.

In this context, it is important to carefully consider the statement of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant, who said: “Hezbollah poses a threat to peace and stability in the Middle East. The Treasury Department will work to cut these terrorists off from the global financial system to give Lebanon a chance to become peaceful and prosperous again.”

This is a strong stance against the party and its financial instruments. These tools will continue to face sanctions and legal actions inside Lebanon and abroad until Hezbollah transforms into a normal social-political party like other Lebanese parties. Weapons are prohibited, and clinging to them as it does today will inevitably lead to a second war with Israel on Lebanese soil, causing a new catastrophe for the party, its supporting environment, and all Lebanese groups opposed to the current abnormal situation.

On this occasion, while discussing “Al-Quard Al-Hassan,” we cannot ignore another thorny issue: rogue financial companies, which are widely known. These companies cannot continue operating as if nothing has happened, because ultimately they will face legal action both domestically and, more importantly, internationally, given the dangerous role they play in expanding the “cash economy.” As is known, the cash economy is practically the economy of drugs, weapons, terrorism, money laundering for rogue regimes and sanctioned organizations, as well as smuggling, tax evasion, and all forms of corruption.

The Lebanese state, which claims to care about reform, must tackle the plague of the cash economy alongside the financial reforms soon to be discussed in Parliament. Without first disarming, then combating the party’s financing and its affiliates, Lebanon will remain, as President Joseph Aoun recently warned, at the mercy of regional crises. The region stands at a crossroads between deal and war. In either case, Lebanon needs to be ready—either to engage with the deal or to absorb the consequences of war.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar