The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Hezbollah operatives, who it said exploited Lebanon’s cash economy to funnel more than $1 billion to the terror group this year, the agency announced on Thursday.
“Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous and secure, but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran’s funding and control,” stated John Hurley, U.S. under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. “We will work with our Lebanese partners to create a resilient economy that puts the interests of all Lebanese citizens front and center.”
The department said that those sanctioned on Thursday oversee the movement of funds from Iran, including selling Iranian oil and other goods and other covert business dealings, into the Lebanese financial system.
Both licensed and unlicensed money exchanges introduce the funding, which lacks adequate customer screening, allowing Hezbollah to launder money for its forces and infrastructure and for the terror group to “resist the Lebanese government’s efforts to assert sovereign control over all Lebanese territory.”
