The United States has announced new sanctions targeting ten individuals involved in a financial network for Hezbollah, while modifying the Lebanese group's terrorist designation.
According to the United States Department of the Treasury, the official legal classification of Hezbollah was amended to state that the organization operates in the service of the Iranian regime under orders from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, specifically its elite Quds Force.
Hezbollah is a political party and militant group based in Lebanon. Washington previously designated Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997, before adding the group to its list of specially designated global terrorist organizations in 2001.
Iranian Proxy Designation
A State Department official explained that the updated language clarifies that Hezbollah operates as a proxy for Iran rather than an autonomous entity, as suggested by the previous designation. The official added that the change emphasizes how Hezbollah acts with minimal to no regard for the sovereignty of Lebanon, the Lebanese people, or the Lebanese state.
The decision builds upon a series of measures taken by Washington over previous years. According to the official, these prior actions repeatedly documented operational, financial, and logistical connections between Hezbollah and the Quds Force, which serves as the overseas paramilitary arm of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
The official described Hezbollah as an extension of the Quds Force, adding that the group is not a Lebanese resistance movement, despite its self-description.
Cash Courier Network
The latest sanctions package focuses on ten people allegedly participating in a money transfer network benefiting Hezbollah, an organization already subject to multiple American financial restrictions.
The Treasury Department stated that the network relies on money couriers traveling on commercial airline flights between Lebanon, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. These couriers transport up to hundreds of millions of dollars across international borders.
American officials said this operation allows Hezbollah to acquire foreign currency outside the formal banking system and bypass existing sanctions. United States financial sanctions generally freeze targeted assets within American jurisdiction and prohibit United States citizens and institutions from conducting business with designated individuals.
