US said weighing in on Lebanon’s next central bank chief in bid to curtail Hezbollah access to cash

The US is weighing in with Lebanon’s government on the selection of the country’s next central bank governor in a bid to curtail corruption and illicit financing for Hezbollah through Lebanon’s banking system, five sources familiar with the issue say.

Washington’s feedback on the candidates for the top role in shaping Lebanon’s monetary policy is the latest example of the US’s unusually hands-on approach to the Middle Eastern country, where a more than five-year financial crisis has collapsed the economy.

It also demonstrates the US’s continued focus on weakening Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group whose sway over the Lebanese government has been reduced after the group was pummeled by Israel in last year’s war.

Since then, Lebanon has elected US-backed Joseph Aoun as president, and a new cabinet without a direct role for Hezbollah has taken power. That government must now fill vacant posts — including at the central bank, run by an interim governor since July 2023.

The US is reviewing the profiles of a handful of candidates for the role, according to three Lebanese sources briefed on the issue, one Western diplomat and an official from US President Donald Trump’s administration.

The sources spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity to discuss Washington’s role in the selection process, the details of which have not been previously reported.