The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members involved in financial transactions for the Lebanese militant group, as Israel launched new strikes.
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AFP reports: The sanctions were announced ahead of a visit to Lebanon by John Hurley, the Treasury Department official in charge of sanctions against extremist groups.
The Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions on three Hezbollah members, blocking any assets they have in the United States and making transactions with them subject to prosecution.
The three allegedly were involved in transfers of tens of millions of dollars from Iran, the Shiite movement’s main sponsor, in part by using money exchange companies that operate in cash.
“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,” Hurley said in a statement.
Israel last year carried out major strikes against Hezbollah, hitting the group hard in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack carried out by Hamas, also backed by Tehran.
Lebanon’s fragile central government agreed to a plan to disarm Hezbollah. Despite a ceasefire in effect for a year, Israel on Thursday carried out new strikes in Lebanon, vowing to stop Hezbollah from rearming.