This has also affected the militia's financial basis in Lebanon, says security expert and terrorism researcher Hans Jakob Schindler. "Although these sources of income are of significant importance to the terrorist group, it is not facing financial collapse," says the head of the non-governmental organization Counter Extremism Project.  This is because the terrorist organization also receives support from abroad. Since it was founded in 1988, Hezbollah has benefited from financial and military support from Tehran and has expanded its international networks. Among other things, it engages in drug trafficking and money laundering for organized crime and collects donations worldwide despite sanctions. "This guarantees the group's financial survival, albeit most likely at a reduced size," says Schindler.