US sanctions Lebanon’s Hezbollah financial network with new measures

Shafaq News- Washington

The United States imposed sanctions on five entities and 16 Hezbollah members as part of efforts to curb the Lebanese group's financial capabilities, the US Treasury Department said on Tuesday.

The center stated that the individuals and entities had already been designated under previous US sanctions programs, and the latest action reflects the member states' commitment to disrupting terrorist financing networks that threaten regional stability, international security, and global trade.

The sanctions include Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which the Treasury said operates under the cover of a non-governmental organization while providing banking-like financial services. US authorities allege that the association uses bank accounts, front companies, and financial facilitators to move funds on behalf of Hezbollah. The measures also target Bayt Al-Mal, which the Treasury described as Hezbollah's unofficial treasury and its banking and investment arm.

Among those sanctioned are Ibrahim Ali Daher, head of Hezbollah's Central Finance Unit; Adel Mohammed Mansour, executive director of Al-Qard Al-Hassan; and the association's financial director, Ahmed Mohammed Yazbek. The list also includes Samer Hassan Fawaz, Ali Mohammed Karneeb, Abbas Hassan Gharib, Mustafa Habib Harb, Izzat Youssef Akar, Hassan Shahada Othman, Nima Ahmed Jamil, Issa Hussein Qasir, Ali Ahmed Kreisht, Nasser Hassan Nasr, Waheed Mahmoud Sbeiti, Mohammed Suleiman Badir, and Imad Mohammed Bazzi.

Several companies allegedly linked to Hezbollah's financial network, including Al-Khubaraa for Accounting, Auditing and Studies, Tasheelat SAL, and Auditors for Accounting and Auditing, were also sanctioned. According to the Treasury, the firms provided financial, accounting, or lending services to Al-Qard Al-Hassan, Bayt Al-Mal, and Hezbollah's Central Finance Unit.