US Treasury targets key Hezbollah financiers in Iran and Lebanon

US Treasury targets key Hezbollah financiers in Iran and Lebanon

The United States government on Thursday announced new sanctions targeting two senior Hezbollah officials and two individuals accused of facilitating the terror group’s financial operations.

The US Treasury Department revealed that the four sanctioned individuals, residing in Lebanon and Iran, are integral to channeling funds to Hezbollah from overseas donors, which reportedly constitute a substantial portion of the organization’s overall budget.

According to a statement from the Treasury Department, the sanctioned individuals are responsible for managing and processing financial support for Hezbollah within Lebanon. One of the designated facilitators is also reported to oversee financial activities for Hezbollah-aligned groups globally.

Among those sanctioned is Jihad Alami, who is alleged to have coordinated the transfer of at least $50,000 to Mu’in Daqiq Al-‘Amili, a senior Hezbollah representative in Qom, Iran, who was also included in Thursday’s sanctions.

The Treasury Department stated that this particular sum “was collected from Iran likely for onward transfer to Gaza” following the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Michael Faulkender, the U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary, emphasized the global reach of Hezbollah’s financial network. “Today’s action underscores Hezbollah’s extensive global reach through its network of terrorist donors and supporters, particularly in Tehran,” Faulkender stated.

The United States regularly sanctions Lebanese officials and entities linked to Hezbollah.

In March, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions against five individuals and three companies accused of operating within a sanctions evasion network that supports Hezbollah’s financial operations.

In September of last year, Washington sanctioned one individual and four entities, and identified nine vessels as blocked property, over facilitation of trade to Syria and East Asia in support of Hezbollah and the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Before that, the US sanctioned a Lebanese network accused of smuggling oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to help fund Hezbollah.