The Hezbollah-Venezuela connection is drawing fresh alarm as U.S. officials warn that Iran’s top terror proxy is expanding drug trafficking operations in Latin America to replace lost funding. Sources familiar with Hezbollah’s activities told the Washington Free Beacon that terrorists are increasingly relocating to Venezuela as Israel’s recent campaigns and renewed U.S. sanctions squeeze Tehran’s finances.
Former Treasury Department official Marshall Billingslea testified that more than 400 Hezbollah field commanders were ordered “to evacuate to Latin America, and Venezuela is specifically identified.” Those commanders joined nearly 11,000 Hezbollah-linked operatives who entered Venezuela between 2010 and 2019. With Iran historically supplying roughly $700 million annually to Hezbollah, sources say the Islamic Republic can no longer cover the group’s costs.
Matthew Leavitt, a former Treasury terrorism finance analyst, explained that Iran “is reportedly unable to foot the bill for Hezbollah’s reconstruction efforts.” As a result, Hezbollah has leaned harder into cocaine trafficking, including so-called “black cocaine” designed to evade detection. A 2016 DEA estimate found the group moved as much as $400 million annually through Latin America.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently confirmed U.S. concerns, stating, “Iran, its IRGC, and even Hezbollah has a presence in South America,” adding that Venezuela serves as the group’s regional hub “with the full and open cooperation of that regime.”
Former Attorney General Bill Barr echoed the warning, saying, “Venezuela is a strategic adversary and a danger to the United States.” He added, “They are a base for Hezbollah,” calling the country the group’s “anchor in our hemisphere.”
Iran’s leadership has pushed back. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei criticized U.S. pressure, saying, “Sometimes it is about expanding territory,” while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared, “Venezuela is a true friend and ally of the Islamic Republic.”
As the Hezbollah-Venezuela pipeline grows, U.S. officials say counter-narcotics and counterterrorism efforts remain ongoing.
