U.S. Sanctions Three Top Hezbollah Officials for Aiding Iran
U.S. Sanctions Three Top Hezbollah Officials for Helping Iran
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on three top Hezbollah officials for what it calls a “malign agenda” to provide support to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The department on Tuesday added Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’d, members of Lebanon’s parliament, and Wafiq Safa, a security official, “for acting for or on behalf” of Hezbollah, according to the statement. Ra’d, the statement said, heads Hezbollah’s Parliamentary Council, while Safa heads the group’s security apparatus and is a key contact for Lebanese security forces.
“Hezbollah uses its operatives in Lebanon’s parliament to manipulate institutions in support of the terrorist group’s financial and security interests, and to bolster Iran’s malign activities,” Sigal Mandelker, Treasury’s top sanctions official, said in the statement.
Treasury has targeted a total of 50 individuals and entities affiliated with Hezbollah since 2017, it said, citing the group’s ability to threaten the economic stability and security of Lebanon and the Middle East more broadly.
“Today’s designations also underscore that there is no distinction between Hizballah’s political and violent activities,” the statement said, using an alternate spelling for the group. The U.S. “will will continue to support efforts of the Lebanese government to protect its institutions from exploitation by Iran and its terrorist proxies, and to secure a more peaceful and prosperous future for Lebanon.”
A U.S. official who briefed reporters after the sanctions were announced warned that any Hezbollah member considering running for office would not be able to hide behind the cover of a political position. The U.S. will continue to target Hezbollah’s companies, officials and anyone that facilities its activities and will use all its tools to degrade its capabilities and mitigate its threat, the official told reporters.
Hezbollah was formed in Lebanon in the early 1980s partly in reaction to Israel’s occupation of the country’s south. Even as it undertakes military and terrorist attacks outside Lebanon, including Syria, inside the nation it remains a major political player and is the strongest militia force. It receives financing and military support from Iran.
The U.S. official described Sherri’s behavior as mafia-like in his effort to preserve Hezbollah’s interests in Lebanon. A picture showing Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force, with his arm around Sherri was evidence of the ties he has to Iran, the official said.
‘Unjustified’ Move
Hezbollah parliamentarian Ali Fayyad told a local television station that the sanctions were offensive to all Lebanese and were not just about Hezbollah. Lebanon’s Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil said on Twitter that the U.S. actions were unjustified, saying the penalties concern all Lebanese even if the target is Hezbollah.
“The measures Lebanon has taken and the laws that were issued -- as certified by international sides -- make these sanctions unjustified and don’t serve financial stability,” Khalil said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Saleha Mohsin in Washington at smohsin2@bloomberg.net;Dana Khraiche in Beirut at dkhraiche@bloomberg.net;Glen Carey in Washington at gcarey8@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, ;Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum
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