Hezbollah arms cache contained USAID packages, former IDF soldier reveals

Humanitarian supplies from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have been discovered at an arms depot belonging to the Shiite Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.

The New York Post reported this development on February 10, citing Asher Fredman, a retired Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldier, per Caliber.Az.

Fredman described his discovery while patrolling a Lebanese village with a Hezbollah stronghold, where he found "sniper rifles, anti-tank missiles, and explosives" next to parcels labeled with the USAID logo.

Earlier, Mike Waltz, the US president's national security adviser, stated that USAID's activities were not aligned with Washington's strategic interests. He added that future operations of all agencies would be adjusted according to US President Donald Trump's policies.

On February 2, an American entrepreneur and billionaire Elon Musk referred to USAID as a "criminal organization" and criticized it as a "snake's nest of radical left-wing Marxists" who harbour animosity toward the United States. Musk later claimed that President Trump had agreed to shut down the agency, which led to the closure of USAID’s Washington headquarters on February 3.

Following this, President Trump suspended USAID's operations, with Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, being appointed as the temporary head of the agency. This restructuring, recommended by Musk, is part of efforts to streamline government agencies and combat bureaucracy. Trump had previously denounced USAID for its alleged fraudulent and corrupt activities. In a recent statement on Truth Social, he added, "USAID is driving the radical left crazy, and there is nothing they can do about it because the way in which the money has been spent, so much of it fraudulently, is totally unexplainable."

The agency, which spent $68 billion in 2023, has seen its workforce dramatically reduced from 10,000 to around 300 employees.

Fredman also reported that the USAID care packages included the logo of the United Nations World Food Program, with inscriptions in both English and Arabic reading “Gift of the United States of America” and “From the American People.”

Although Fredman could not disclose the name of the Lebanese village where the discovery was made due to security concerns, he said it had been established by Hezbollah as a "forward base" for potential invasions of Israel. According to Fredman, the group had recently vacated the village upon seeing the IDF approaching.

An IDF spokesman told The Post that they had no further information about the USAID packages but confirmed Fredman's previous reports.

By Tamilla Hasanova