الخزانة الأمريكية تعاقب كياناً و7 من قيادات حزب الله

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced today (Thursday) sanctions against 7 senior officials of Hezbollah and one entity linked to the financial institution Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which is controlled by the party.

The department clarified in a statement on its website that these sanctioned officials in senior management positions facilitated evasion of U.S. sanctions, enabling Hezbollah to access the formal financial system. It emphasized that today's action is part of the Treasury's commitment to disrupt Hezbollah's schemes to evade sanctions and support the efforts of the new Lebanese government to limit the influence of the terrorist group, especially as entities like Al-Qaeda continue to undermine the already fragile Lebanese economy.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Michael Folker stated: "Through their roles in Al-Qard Al-Hassan, these officials sought to obscure Hezbollah's interest in transactions that appear legitimate in Lebanese financial institutions, exposing these banks to significant risks related to money laundering and terrorist financing while allowing Hezbollah to transfer funds for its own benefit." He added: "As Hezbollah seeks to obtain money to rebuild its operations, the Treasury remains firmly committed to dismantling the party's financial infrastructure and limiting its ability to reconstitute itself."

According to the statement, the targets today have roles in activities supporting Hezbollah, and some of them have been linked to Al-Qaeda for over two decades. In addition to their work with Al-Qaeda, many of them previously had joint bank accounts in Lebanese financial institutions in coordination with other Al-Qaeda affiliates and conducted millions of dollars in transactions that ultimately benefited Hezbollah, which was concealed.