Members of Lebanon's Hezbollah hold flags during a rally commemorating the annual Hezbollah Martyrs' Day in Beirut's southern suburbs, Nov. 11, 2022. (Credit: Aziz Taher/Reuters)
WASHINGTON — The United States on
Thursday sanctioned individuals and companies for allegedly
providing financial services to and facilitating weapons
procurement for Hezbollah, the US Treasury Department said.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action against two individuals and two companies based in Lebanon for providing financial services to Hezbollah, along with an additional individual involved in facilitating weapons procurement for the group, it said in a statement.
Founded in 1982 by Iran's Revolutionary Guards and classified by the US and other Western countries as a "terrorist organization," Hezbollah is a powerful group in Lebanon because of a heavily armed militia that fought several wars with Israel. It grew stronger after joining the war in Syria in 2012 in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
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OFAC regulations generally prohibit all dealings by US persons or within the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated entities.
Among the individuals sanctioned on Thursday were Adel Mohamad Mansour, who led a Hezbollah-run quasi-financial institution; Hassan Khalil, a Lebanese man who worked to procure weapons on behalf of Hezbollah; and Naser Hassan Neser (whose nationality was not specified), who worked with an entity that provided financial services to the group, the Treasury Department said.
The two companies sanctioned on Thursday over providing financial services to Hezbollah were named Al-Khobara and Auditors. Al-Khobara is being designated for being owned, controlled or directed by Mansour, who serves as the company’s CEO. The company has provided accounting services to Al-Qard Al-Hassan, and was managed by senior AQAH officials. Auditors is being designated for being owned, controlled or directed by Ibrahim Daher. Daher, who was designated in May 2021 for acting on behalf of Hezballah in his capacity as the chief of Hezballah’s Central Finance Unit, is a majority owner and managing partner of this company and has held a senior managerial function within the company for years. Additionally, Auditors provides financial services to Hezballah’s Central Finance Unit.
Last month, the United States issued sanctions against international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force, targeting dozens of people, companies and tankers.
Thursday sanctioned individuals and companies for allegedly
providing financial services to and facilitating weapons
procurement for Hezbollah, the US Treasury Department said.
The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control
(OFAC) took action against two individuals and two companies
based in Lebanon for providing...