The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated three Lebanon-based officials and 12 Lebanon-based entities linked to Iran’s ‘Martyrs Foundation,’ part of Hizballah’s support network, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) on Wednesday.
The foundation, an Iranian parastatal organization, was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2007 and is used as a channel to funnel financial support from Tehran to terrorist organizations, including Hizballah, the Treasury has said. The Lebanon office of the Martyrs Foundation is an integral element of Hizballah’s global terror support network, according to the Treasury.
Hizballah was created and has been funded by the Iranian regime and has acted as its proxy group in exporting terrorism across the Middle East.
“OFAC designated Atlas Holding for being owned or controlled by the Martyrs Foundation, as well as senior Atlas official Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi, and ten Atlas-affiliated companies. Jawad Nur-al-Din and Sheikh Yusuf Aasi were also designated, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, for being leaders or officials of the Lebanon-based Martyrs Foundation, which was designated for supporting terrorism in July 2007. Mirath S.A.L., which is owned or controlled by Jawad Nur-al-Din, was also designated today,” read the statement.
“Hizballah profits from the sale of goods vital to the Lebanese peoples’ health and economy, such as pharmaceuticals and gasoline,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “The Trump Administration stands with the Lebanese people, and we are committed to exposing and holding accountable Hizballah’s terror-funding business schemes,” he added.
“Hizballah was designated by the Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in October 1997 and as an SDGT pursuant to E.O. 13224 in October 2001. As noted in previous Treasury actions, the Lebanon office of the Martyrs Foundation acts as an Iranian parastatal organization and is an integral element of Hizballah’s global terror support network. It provides services such as financial support to the families of killed or imprisoned Hizballah members, as well as to families of suicide bombers from HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” read the Treasury’s statement
Hezbollah was founded by the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in 1982 and has played a key role in conducting terrorist activities on behalf of the regime in the region.
Hezbollah was under the command of Qassem Soleimani, who led the IRGC Quds Force. After Soleimani was eliminated in a U.S. drone attack in Baghdad on January 3, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader said that prior to his death, Soleimani had requested 120 Hezbollah commanders from Nasrallah.
During the criminal war in Syria, Qassem Soleimani used Hezbollah mercenaries to fight Syrian rebels. Based on reports, at least 2,000 Hezbollah fighters were deployed in Syria, under the Quds Force’s command. They were part of the forces that saved Assad’s dictatorship in power, using brutal tactics, destroying towns and villages and massacring civilians.
Source » ncr-iran