US sanctions Lebanese officials, Iranian ambassador for “enabling Hezbollah”
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
The United States Department of State said Thursday that it sanctioned nine individuals who “enabled” Hezbollah to “undermine” the sovereignty of Lebanon.
The sanctions, in an unprecedented move, targeted two Lebanese officials on charges of sharing intelligence with Hezbollah.
It includes the head of Lebanese Army Intelligence's office in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Dahieh), Colonel Samer Hamadeh, Amal Movement security official Ahmad Baalbaki, the movement’s southern commander Ahmad Safawi, and Brigadier General Khattar Nassereddine, head of the National Security Directorate in the Lebanese police.
The sanctions also include four MPs and political figures linked to Hezbollah: Mohammad Fneish, Hassan Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Moussawi, and Hussein al-Hajj Hassan - in addition to Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mohammad Reza Sheibani.
The US State Department also offered a reward of up to $10 million for “information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of Hezbollah”.
