Hezbollah’s leadership has relied on multiple fronts to maintain relevance. Militarily, they use specific events (like escalations on the Syrian border) to show central command is still in control. Politically, they leverage their alliance with Nabih Berri to influence appointments and government formation. In the media, they remain aggressive against state officials, and they utilize the judicial and security apparatus to terrorize opponents who speak out against their weapons or peace processes.

Hezbollah relies heavily on cash smuggling. This occurs to a lesser extent through the airport, but primarily through the Port of Beirut and both legal and illegal border crossings with Syria.

While Iranian support is essential, Hezbollah also operates a 'mafiosi-like' network involving drug smuggling and money laundering. They sell imported goods at a discount by controlling customs at the Beirut port to evade taxes. Additionally, local private sector institutions in financial sectors yield returns for them. The U.S. response must involve pressure from local monetary authorities to close down these businesses.

Reform starts with the liberation of state-owned assets, similar to recent improvements at the airport. The Beirut Port must be freed from partisan control, and official border passages with Syria must be strictly monitored. Additionally, the security, army, and judiciary apparatus need to be cleansed of Hezbollah agents to restore state sovereignty.

Sanctions should target the entire ecosystem aiding Hezbollah—including political, security, diplomatic, and media establishments. High-level pressure must be placed on the Lebanese government to dismantle Hezbollah’s military and security infrastructure and its ability to intimidate internal opponents.

A multi-agency approach is required: The DEA should continue targeting drug trafficking routes. The Treasury Department must aggressively sanction Hezbollah allies (politicians, judges, media figures) and trace money laundering, while also pushing for asset seizures in Europe, the U.S., and Africa. Finally, the Justice Department should issue arrest warrants for individuals deeply involved in Hezbollah’s propaganda and security facilitation.

Maximum pressure must be applied to all international partners to officially list Hezbollah’s military and political wings as terrorist organizations. This should be followed by gradually adding all allied parties and entities to these terror lists to isolate the organization globally.