Hezbollah flag in Syria. Photo: wiki commons.

A top military official from Israel’s northern command believes that international sanctions against Iran for its nuclear program are forcing its leaders to curtail aid to proxy terrorist groups like Hezbollah.

“Sanctions have hurt the amount of aid Hezbollah receives from Iran,” the IDF official said, without providing evidence to back up his claims, according to Israel Hayom.

However, the official said that aid still remained a “significant amount,” estimating it at hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

Despite the cutbacks, Hezbollah still remains a powerful threat. Israeli officials estimate that its militia possesses more than 40,000 rockets and missiles that are capable of hitting anywhere in Israel.

The official also told reporters that Israel remained concerned with Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal possibly getting into the hands of terrorist groups. Although he stated that “there are no signs now” that the chemical weapons are being moved out to secure government warehouses.