Biden administration announced new sanctions On Wednesday, it filed a lawsuit against three individuals and four companies allegedly connected to the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah's revenue sources.
According to a press release issued by the Treasury Department, these individuals and companies were involved in a sanctions evasion network based in Lebanon that “generated millions of dollars in revenue” for the U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah. The Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Targeting too The remaining three were illegally manufacturing and trafficking Captagon, a “dangerous and highly addictive amphetamine” that benefited the Syrian regime, the statement said.
These penalties come amid rising tensions in the Middle East amid targeted attacks between Israel and Iranian-backed groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, which are linked to ongoing Hamas attacks in Gaza. related to the war with
According to the release, the three individuals and entities mentioned in the release were members of Hezbollah's financial team.
“These individuals have ties to Hezbollah's financial team and have registered companies in their own names to hide their interest in Hezbollah's activities,” the statement said. “The companies offer Hezbollah a potentially lucrative business opportunity while providing access to the formal financial system.”
OFAC had previously imposed sanctions on entities allegedly generating separate profits for Hezbollah. January and septembersays the release.
“Today's actions highlight Hezbollah's destabilizing influence within Lebanon and the wider region. Because we continue to provide funding,” the acting Treasury secretary said. Bradley T. Smith of the Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Division said in a release.
“Treasury will continue to expose and disrupt the illegal plans that support Hezbollah’s ability to continue its violent attacks,” Smith added.
