Jerusalem - Israeli politicians lashed out at former US president Barack Obama after an expose in Politico alleged that his administration had blocked a major investigation into Hezbollah’s global drug trafficking activities so that Tehran would sign the 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear activities.
“Obama must return his Nobel Peace Prize,” if the Politico story is correct, Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid said.
“Israel warned repeatedly that there can be no connection between the nuclear deal and anti-terror activity, certainly against Hezbollah…We also warned of this specifically, because of the proven link between Hezbollah and Iran.”
Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi wrote on Facebook that the report is not surprising, due to Obama’s “persistent efforts to give Iran, Nasrallah’s patron, legitimacy at any price. “Up until the Obama Administration, every American President fought terrorism uncompromisingly…I am convinced that the Trump Administration will not turn from that tradition and the outrageous and mistaken policy that was revealed this week will not be repeated,” Hanegbi said.
The Politico piece details the efforts of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, which launched Project Cassandra in 2008. The group tracked Hezbollah’s global criminal syndicate operation, backed by Iran, including drug and weapons trafficking worth $1 billion annually.
But while DEA gathered evidence, including of Iran backed activities in Latin America and the US, Politico charged that the Justice Department and other US authorities refused to file charges against major players.
This included, according to Politico, “Hezbollah’s high-profile envoy to Iran, a Lebanese bank that allegedly laundered billions in alleged drug profits, and a central player in a US.-based cell of the Iranian paramilitary Quds force.”
Among those against whom no US action was taken, was Ali Fayad, a suspected Hezbollah operative...read more at JPost
