The US and its partners in the Gulf on Tuesday announced co-ordinated sanctions on five companies and 16 people linked to Hezbollah, the Treasury Department said.
The Terrorist Financing Targeting Centre – whose member states also include the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia – imposed the sanctions on two financial networks linked to the group.
“The networks designated by TFTC today threaten regional stability, international security, mutual interests and global trade,” the department said in a statement.
“By restricting Hezbollah’s access to funding, TFTC members are working to protect the integrity of the international financial system, support the Lebanese people and counter terror networks.”
Hezbollah has pledged to derail a fragile peace deal between Israel and Lebanon. The US-brokered agreement between the two sides includes the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Israeli forces attacked Hezbollah members in the country's south after the peace deal was signed.
US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper visited Lebanon this week to discuss the implementation of monitoring and verifying Hezbollah’s disarmament in “pilot” zones occupied by the Israeli military.
The US will have forces in Lebanon and Israel to monitor action by both countries' armies, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, quoting a US official.
During his Monday visit, Admiral Cooper met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Mr Aoun reaffirmed the country's determination to “extend its authority through its armed forces all the way to the international southern borders”, according to a statement from the Lebanese Presidency,
The TFTC was established in 2017 during US President Donald Trump's first administration.
Under the 2017 preliminary agreement, the TFTC seeks to curb terrorist financing networks by tracking and sharing information about them and their activities, co-ordinating joint action including sanctions, and offering assistance in building the ability to counter risks related to terrorist financing.
The Treasury Department said Tuesday's action was the third TFTC designation under the second Trump administration and the ninth since 2017.
Tuesday's actions were against one organisation called Al Qard Al Hassan, which Treasury accuses of illicitly moving funds through shell accounts and enablers, and of allowing Hezbollah to boost its own support base at the cost of stability in the Lebanese state.
The sanctions are also imposed on Bayt Al Mal, which the TFTC said acts as the unofficial treasury of Hezbollah by holding and investing assets. Several senior officials were also listed.
Each company and person listed in Tuesday's announcement was previously designated by the US.
