WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated nine individuals in Lebanon this week for obstructing the peace process and impeding the disarmament of Hizballah, targeting officials embedded across Lebanon’s parliament, military, and security sectors.
“Hizballah is a terrorist organization and must be fully disarmed,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to take action against officials who have infiltrated the Lebanese government and are enabling Hizballah to wage its senseless campaign of violence against the Lebanese people and obstruct lasting peace.”
Among those designated are four Hizballah political representatives in Lebanon’s parliament. Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb Fanich, who leads Hizballah’s executive council, has been a member of the organization since its founding and was elected to parliament in 1992. Hassan Nizammeddine Fadlallah has represented Hizballah in parliament since 2005 and helped found Al Nour Radio. Ibrahim al-Moussawi currently heads Hizballah’s Media Committee and serves as a parliamentary representative. Hussein Al-Hajj Hassan has been a Hizballah member since 1982 and a parliamentarian since 1996, and has been a key figure opposing the group’s disarmament.
The designations also targeted individuals connected to Hizballah’s security and political partnerships. Mohammad Reza Sheibani, Iran’s ambassador designate to Lebanon, was previously expelled by the Lebanese government after it declared him persona non grata and cited violations of diplomatic norms. Ahmad Asaad Baalbaki and Ali Ahmad Safawi, both security officials of the Amal Movement — a political ally of Hizballah — were designated for coordinating displays of force against Hizballah’s political opponents and directing joint military operations against Israel.
Two Lebanese security officials were also designated for sharing intelligence with Hizballah during the ongoing conflict: Brigadier General Khattar Nasser Eldin of the General Directorate for General Security and Colonel Samir Hamadi of the Lebanese Armed Forces Intelligence Directorate.
All designations were made under Executive Order 13224, the counterterrorism authority under which Hizballah was first designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in 2001. As a result, all property and interests in property of the designated individuals within U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. persons are broadly prohibited from engaging in transactions involving the blocked parties.
By: Big Sky Broadcasting Newswire
