US Treasury blacklists Hezbollah financial arms; AQAH
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The member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) issued joint designations on Tuesday targeting multiple components of Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure, including five entities and 16 individuals.
The coordinated sanctions target major financial institutions used by the group, including Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH) and Bayt al-Mal, along with their senior executive leadership.
According to the announcement, all of the targets identified by the TFTC had been previously designated under unilateral United States sanctions.
Primary institutional targets
The joint action heavily focuses on two primary financial bodies operating within Lebanon:
- Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH): Operating under a Ministry of Interior-granted NGO license, the organization provides bank-like financial services. The TFTC states that AQAH illicitly moves funds through shell accounts and senior employees' personal accounts to facilitate militant activities. Following the destruction of Bayt al-Mal offices in 2006, Hezbollah shifted the bulk of its financial transactions to AQAH.
- Bayt al-Mal: Functioning as Hezbollah's unofficial treasury under the direct supervision of the group's Secretary General, this institution acts as a bank, creditor, and investment arm, operating out of Beirut's southern suburbs.
Key individuals
The sanctions list names senior financial officers who have managed shadow accounts and circumvented the formal banking system to transfer more than $500 million over the past decade through institutions like the US-designated Jammal Trust Bank (JTB).
Other individuals designated in the action include AQAH officials Abbas Hassan Gharib, Mustafa Habib Harb, Ezzat Youssef Akar, Hasan Chehadeh Othman, Wahid Subayti, and Mohammed Suleiman Badir, who held personal accounts used to mask institutional fund transfers.
Senior officials Nehmeh Ahmad Jamil, Issa Hussein Kassir, Ali Ahmed Krisht, Naser Hassan Neser, and Imad Mohamed Bezz were also included for their roles in auditing, gold trading, and logistics procurement.
The action additionally targets three corporate entities used to support these networks:
- Al-Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies: Managed by senior AQAH officials and located within the AQAH building.
- Tashilat SARL: A company used to provide loans on behalf of Hezbollah.
- The Auditors for Accounting and Auditing: A firm majority-owned by Ibrahim Daher that provides financial services to Hezbollah’s Central Finance Unit.
This joint action marks the third TFTC designation initiative under the current US administration and the ninth since the center's establishment in May 2017.
