The United States and the member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) have imposed a new round of sanctions against the financial network of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Iranian regime’s principal proxy group in the country. In this joint action, five entities and 16 senior executives and officials associated with Hezbollah’s financial structure were placed under sanctions.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday, June 30, that the sanctions were imposed to weaken Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure, deny the group access to funding, and restrict its operational capabilities in Lebanon and across the region. According to the statement, Hezbollah’s two principal financial institutions, “Al-Qardh Al-Hassan” and “Bayt al-Mal,” along with several of their senior executives and officials, have been designated under the sanctions.
Iranian Regime-Backed Hezbollah Under Heavy Pressure
The joint statement issued by the member states of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center emphasized that financial networks linked to proxy groups backed by the Iranian regime threaten regional stability, international security, shared interests, and global trade. The U.S. Department of the Treasury also stated that targeting Hezbollah’s financial resources is part of international efforts to protect the global financial system, support the people of Lebanon, and prevent the activities of terrorist networks affiliated with the Iranian regime.
According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, although Al-Qard Al-Hassan is officially registered as a non-governmental organization in Lebanon, it effectively operates as Hezbollah’s unofficial bank and provides extensive financial services beyond its legal authority. U.S. officials say Hezbollah has used the institution to transfer funds, finance its military activities, and evade international sanctions. According to the Treasury, over the past decade, the network has moved more than $500 million through Lebanon’s banking system by using intermediary and front accounts.
Among those sanctioned are several senior members of Hezbollah’s financial network, including Ahmad Mohammad Yazbek, Chief Financial Officer of Al-Qard Al-Hassan; Abbas Hassan Gharib, the institution’s Information Technology Director; Ibrahim Ali Zaher, head of Hezbollah’s Central Finance Unit; Adel Mohammad Mansour, Executive Director of Al-Qard Al-Hassan; as well as Samer Hassan Fawaz, Ali Mohammad Karneeb, and Imad Mohammad Baz.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury also identified Bayt al-Mal as Hezbollah’s unofficial financial treasury, responsible for holding the group’s assets, managing its investments, and overseeing its financial resources while acting as an intermediary between Hezbollah and Lebanon’s formal banking sector. In addition, the companies “Al-Khubaraa for Accounting, Auditing and Studies” and “Tasheelat” have also been sanctioned for assisting in the management and transfer of Hezbollah’s financial resources.
Hezbollah, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and a number of Western and Arab countries, has served as the Iranian regime’s primary proxy in Lebanon for the past four decades and has received a substantial portion of its financial, military, and logistical support from Tehran. U.S. officials and their Arab allies have emphasized that the objective of this latest round of sanctions is to disrupt Hezbollah’s funding channels and limit the group’s ability to continue its military and regional activities.
