Lebanese Accused of Funding Hamas Killed in Beit Mery

Mohammad Sarur, a Lebanese individual previously sanctioned by the United States for his alleged involvement in channeling funds from Iran to the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was recently killed near Beirut. Sarur’s body was discovered on Tuesday within a villa in Beit Mery, a mountainous region, having been shot multiple times. Despite being found with a significant amount of cash, the money was left untouched by his assailants.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA), the victim, a 57-year-old man whose initials matched Sarur’s, was located in an area close to Beit Mery. A security source, who chose to remain anonymous, verified to AFP that Sarur was indeed the victim and was under U.S. sanctions. He was known to work for financial entities associated with Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and allied with Hamas.

The U.S. Treasury Department had, in August 2019, imposed sanctions on Sarur among others, for allegedly transferring “tens of millions of dollars” from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards to Hamas through Hezbollah, for attacks launched from the Gaza Strip. Sarur was described as acting as an intermediary between the Quds Force and Hamas, coordinating with Hezbollah operatives to ensure the delivery of funds to Hamas’ military branch, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

He was reportedly responsible for all financial transfers between the Quds Force and the Qassam Brigades since 2014 and had a long history with Hezbollah’s sanctioned bank, Bayt al-Mal, which the U.S. blacklisted in 2006.

This incident follows recent efforts by U.S. Treasury officials, including Jesse Baker, to engage Lebanese political and financial leaders in discussions aimed at halting the flow of funds through Lebanon to Hamas, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli military that began on October 7, following a significant attack by Hamas on Israel, leading to the current conflict in Gaza.