BEIRUT — Hezbollah's deputy leader has rejected as "unjust" U.S. accusations of the militant group's involvement in a money laundering scheme and drugs trafficking.
Sheik Naim Kassem says the Iran-backed Shiite Muslim group does not follow "a religiously prohibited path" to develop its resources.
U.S. authorities alleged last week that Lebanese financial institutions wired more than $300 million into theUnited States in a laundering scheme they said used the U.S. financial system to benefit Hezbollah.
The U.S. government said in the lawsuit filed in a Manhattan federal court that it seeks nearly a half-billion dollars in money-laundering penalties from some Lebanese financial entities and U.S. car buyers.
Kassem's remarks were published Tuesday on Hezbollah's website.
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