The external relations unit of Hezbollah’s executive council serves as Hezbollah’s “foreign ministry” and works with government bodies, political parties, etc. One of the unit’s main functions is to assist Hezbollah operatives operating abroad, including members of Unit 910 (Unit 910, which operates under the auspices of the Jihad Council/Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is the unit responsible for carrying out external operations, directing terrorist attacks around the world). The assistance provided by the External Relations Unit includes recruiting and operating assistants, logistical support, and securing activities. In addition, the unit organizes demonstrations in support of Hezbollah and Iran among Shiite communities worldwide.
We understand that Ali Da’amush (deputy head of the executive council) formally heads the unit. It is possible that in recent years, the actual commander of the unit is Khalil Rizq / Rizk, who is also responsible for activities in Latin American countries.
Venezuela is also “under the responsibility” of Rizk. In August 2022, he posted a video from the “Ashura tent” in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on his Facebook page.
One of the Foreign Relations Unit’s other functions is collecting funds for Hezbollah and transferring these funds to Lebanon. The funds are transferred in several ways, such as via checks (which pass under the pretext of aid to family members or relatives in Africa and from there to Lebanon; for example, in March 2022, US authorities reported that Hezbollah was transporting funds to Lebanon via the Republic of Guinea), cash (limited amounts), moneychangers (by converting funds to Europe and Africa and from there to Lebanon), and through money laundering (by establishing shell companies in locations where there is a large Shi’ite migrant community from Lebanon).
Khalil Rizk has a brother named Wissam. Wissam owns a business in Brazil (located in the area where Khalil is responsible for, as part of the Foreign Relations Unit). The business is a shop that sells mobile phones, computer equipment, and other electronic items.
We assess that Wissam serves as the main assistant in the Brazilian branch of the Hezbollah foreign relations unit, greatly promoting his brother Khalil Rizk’s unit activities.
We are unfamiliar with any sanctions imposed on Khalil and/or Wissam.
What do we know about Khalil and Wissam Rizk?
| Name in English: Sheikh Khaleel Rizq /Rizk Name in Arabic: الشيخ خليل رزق Age: 60 Tel: +9613753853 [1] Up-to-date address: Beirut (most likely Haret Hreik), Lebanon Former address: [2]Mays Al Jabal, Al Janub, Lebanon (33.16971969961596, 35.52130038836131) Position in Hezbollah: In charge of Hezbollah’s foreign relations branch in Latin America[3] and possibly acting commander of the external relations unit. “Civilian” jobs: 1. Religious Authority and Senior Lecturer at the Al-Imam al-Mahdi Institute for Islamic Studies in Distance Learning [4] 2. Imam at al-Mujtaba Mosque (مجمع المجتبى)[5] 3. Former lecturer at the Islamic University of Lebanon (IUL) academic institution Social networks: 1.Twitter: https://twitter.com/chkhalilrizk 2.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ch.khalil.rizk 3.Skype: https://transitapp.com/redirect.html?url=skype://shekhkhaleel?chat |   |
| His activities: 1. Given his responsibility for Hezbollah’s external relations in Latin America, our examination found that his brother, Hajj Wissam Rizk,[6] [7]lives in São Paulo, Brazil, and owns a mobile phone business.[8] Very close to Wisam’s business, the brother of Muhammad Mansour – a Hezbollah man arrested in Egypt over a decade ago- also runs his own business.[9] Both businesses may be used by Hezbollah’s well-greased money laundering network. It wasn’t until August 2022 that Rizk posted a video from the “Ashura tent” in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, on his Facebook page.[10] In early May, he posted an official announcement on his Facebook page on behalf of the Council of Shi’ite Sages in North America – regarding the dates of the Ramadan fast and Eid al-Fitr (presumably, he makes similar announcements in South America as well).[11] 2. He extensively uses social networks to convey hate messages and incitement against Israel.[12] 3. His Facebook page serves as a platform for many posts regarding Judaism, Zionism, ultra-Orthodox, and Messianic Judaism – as well as Zionist institutions such as the Jewish Agency and personalities in Zionist history such as Benyamin Ze’ev Herzl and David Ben-Gurion.[13] |  On the right: Sheikh Khalil Rizk, on the left: His brother, Hajj Wissam Rizk, from São Paulo, Brazil [14]  From Rizk’s Twitter page – a quote from Nasrallah: “We will bury the Israelis in the ground if they return to our country again”. |
| Full Name in English: Haj Wissam Rizq / Rizk Full Name in Arabic: حاج وسام رزف Age: 50 Personal status: married + 3[15] Phone: +55 11 98927-7001 Address: R. Amaral Gama, 349 – Santana (46.62812973556715 – 23.497302565929765) Email: [email protected] Social network presence: Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wissam.rizk.58 Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wissam.rizk.73 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wissamrizk Occupation: Owner of a store selling mobile phones, computer equipment, and other electronic items called TL ACCESSORIOS or TL Ferramentas.[16] In his business Facebook profile, you can see that Wissam owns a cellphone brand called Wissam Cell. It should be noted that in Lebanon, a store sells phones with this exact name.[17] |    The store staff, (Wissam in the center in the yellow square) |
[1] https://truecaller.com/search/lb/+9613753853
[3] https://stop910.com/ar/content/405.html
[4] https://maahadalmahdi.net/tutor.php?id=2
[5]http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en
[6] https://alsadaranews.com/lebanon/news166057.html
[7] https://thelevantnews.com/article/
[8]https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/hezbollah-inc-emanuele-ottolenghi
[9] https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/media/2785?disposition=inline
[10] https://www.facebook.com/ch.khalil.rizk/videos/598114061879265/?__tn__=%2CO-R
[11]https://www.facebook.com/ch.khalil.rizk/posts/
[12] https://twitter.com/chkhalilrizk/status/1558885168600973318?s=20
[13]https://facebook.com/story.php
[14] https://truecaller.com/search/br/+5511989277001
[15] https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=4982172055231719&set=ecnf.100016316168620
[16] https://www.instagram.com/tl_ferramentas/?hl=en
[17]https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wissam+Cell/
