Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri receives more than $500,000 a month from Iran in exchange for supporting Tehran’s and Hezbollah’s interests in Lebanon, the London-based opposition outlet Iran International reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the payments.
According to the report, officials in Tehran said the payments were intended to “buy unity” among Lebanon’s Shiite leadership to ensure it acts in line with Iran’s interests rather than those of Lebanon.
Berri, 88, has not publicly responded to the allegations. One of his advisers told Iran International that he would not comment at this time.
The sources said Berri has avoided publicly opposing Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel because he does not want to risk losing the funding. Berri leads the Amal Movement, a major Shiite political party in Lebanon that maintains close political ties with Hezbollah.
Founded in the 1970s, Amal is one of the country’s key political factions and part of the Shiite political camp that holds significant influence over Lebanon’s domestic and foreign policy.
According to the report, Berri has also resisted efforts by the Lebanese government to push for Hezbollah to disarm. In exchange for the financial support from Tehran, the sources said, Berri is expected to promote initiatives in Lebanon’s parliament that align with Iranian interests.
In recent months, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have sought to increase pressure on Hezbollah to give up its weapons in an effort to ease tensions with Israel and reduce pressure from the international community.
Separately, unverified claims circulating on social media have accused Berri of leaking information about a meeting of Hezbollah’s senior military leadership, including leader Hassan Nasrallah, though those allegations have not been confirmed.