Lebanon’s government is accusing the Israeli spy agency Mossad of being behind the mysterious killing of a sanctioned Lebanese man who acted as a middle man for Iran and Hamas. 

“According to the data we have so far, (the killing) was carried out by intelligence services,” Lebanon’s interior minister, Bassam Mawlawi, told Al-Jadeed TV. He clarified, saying that it was Mossad that was responsible for the killing. 

The financier in question, Mohammad Sarur, was shot to death in a villa at the town of Beit Mery — just outside of Beirut — on Tuesday, according to Barron’s. The Times of Israel reports that Sarur had been shot five times and had a sum of money on his person that was left untouched by his killers. 

Sarur was sanctioned by the Department of Treasury in 2019 after he was accused of funneling “tens of millions of dollars” from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Hezbollah, which was later transferred “to Hamas for terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip.”

The Department of Treasury described Sarur as “a middleman” between Hamas and Iran who “worked with Hezbollah operatives to ensure funds were provided.” The American government further said that Sarur was “in charge of all money transfers” between Iran and Hamas from as far back as 2014.