Treasury Targets Hizballah Finance Official and Shadow Bankers in Lebanon marketswired.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from marketswired.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken participates in a virtual bilateral meeting with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the State Department Washington, U.S. April 27, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis
The United States on Tuesday called on governments worldwide to take action against Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah, as the Treasury Department sanctioned seven Lebanese nationals it said were connected to the group and its financial firm, Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH).
“The threat that Hizballah (Hezbollah) poses to the United States, our allies, and interests in the Middle East and globally, calls for countries around the world to take steps to restrict its activities and disrupt its facilitation networks,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on the action against the group, designated a terrorist organization by Washington.
These designations reinforce recent US action against Hezbollah financiers who have provided support or services to Hezbollah. The United States will continue to take action to disrupt Hezbollah s operations.
The other six who had sanctions imposed are Ahmad Mohamad Yazbeck, Abbas Hassan Gharib, Wahib Mahmud Subayti, Mostafa Habib Harb, Ezzat Youssef Akar and Hasan Chehadeh Othman.
“From the highest levels of Hezbollah’s financial apparatus to working-level individuals, Hezbollah continues to abuse the Lebanese financial sector and drain Lebanon’s financial resources at an already dire time,” said Andrea Gacki, head of the Treasury Department’s sanctions office.
“Such actions demonstrate Hezbollah’s disregard for financial stability, transparency or accountability in Lebanon.”
The United States Impedes Hizballah Financing by Sanctioning Seven Individuals Details Written by State Department
Washington, DC - Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated seven individuals in connection with Hizballah and its financial firm, Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH). AQAH, which was designated by OFAC in 2007, is used by Hizballah as a cover to manage the terrorist group’s financial activities and gain access to the international financial system. Ibrahim Ali Daher (Daher) serves as the Chief of Hizballah’s Central Finance Unit, which oversees Hizballah’s overall budget and spending, including the group’s funding of its terrorist operations and killing of the group’s opponents. The other six individuals designated today used the cover of personal accounts at certain Lebanese banks, including U.S.-designated Jammal Trust Bank (JTB), to evade sanctions targeting AQAH and transfer
Blinken Calls Hezbollah ‘Threat,’ US Blacklists 7 Lebanese Nationals
WASHINGTON The United States on Tuesday called on governments worldwide to take action against Lebanon’s Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, as the Treasury Department sanctioned seven Lebanese nationals it said were connected to the group and its financial firm, Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH).
“The threat that Hizballah (Hezbollah) poses to the United States, our allies, and interests in the Middle East and globally, calls for countries around the world to take steps to restrict its activities and disrupt its facilitation networks,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on the action against the group, designated a terrorist organization by Washington.