Lebanese banks compliant, insists governor

Riad Salame, the governor of the Bank of Lebanon, has countered allegations that the country's financial institutions illegally supported Hezbollah, a militant group.

Israeli victims of rocket attacks launched during the conflict with Israel in 2006 have made the allegations in lawsuits filled in the US and Canada.

But the Associated Press, a news agency, reported on Tuesday that Salame had rebuffed the claims, saying in a statement that the Lebanese banking sector was "committed to international standards" and operated under global law.

The victims filling in the US blame Lebanese banks for granting the militant group access to dollar funds which allowed them to "purchase missiles and other weapons that could terrorise civilians". The Globe and Mail, a Canadian newspaper, reported on Tuesday that four Canadian citizens living in Israel had specifically blamed the Lebanese-Canadian Bank for supporting Hezbollah - claims which the bank has denied.

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