U.S. Treasury Imposes Sanctions against Nasrallah, Hizbullah Officials for Backing Assad, Terrorism

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed on Thursday sanctions against Hizbullah's leadership in Lebanon, further exposing Hizbullah's active support to the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as its role in terrorist activities.

“Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah's secretary general, is being designated today pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13582, for providing support to the Syrian government,” said the Treasury in a statement.

“Mustapha Badreddine and Talal Hamiyeh, two senior terrorist leaders of Hizbullah, are being designated today pursuant to E.O. 13224, for providing support to Hizbullah's terrorist activities in the Middle East and around the world,” it added.

“By aiding Assad’s violent campaign against the Syrian people and working to support a regime that will inevitably fall, Hizbullah's ongoing activity undermines regional stability and poses a direct threat to Lebanon’s security,” said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen.

“Hizbullah's actions, overseen by Nasrallah and executed by Badreddine and Hamiyeh, clearly reveal its true nature as a terrorist and criminal organization,” he continued.

“Hizbullah and its leader Nasrallah have sought to depict their organization as a social and political party, as well as a resistance movement,” said the statement.

These efforts are belied by the facts: Hizbullah consistently uses terrorism against civilian targets to achieve its goals, and this trend has only increased recently. The last year has witnessed Hizbullah's most aggressive terrorist plotting outside the Middle East since the 1990s, it revealed.

Moreover, in recent months Hizbullah has also played an increasingly active role in providing support to the Government of Syria, further enabling the regime to carry out its bloody campaign against the Syrian people.

Under the Assad regime, Syria has been a longstanding supporter of Hizbullah -- providing safe haven to Hizbullah and routing weapons, in many cases from Iran, to Hizbullah in Lebanon. Hizbullah, under the direction of Nasrallah, is now returning the favor by providing training, advice, and extensive logistical support to the Government of Syria as the Assad regime continues to wreak havoc on the Syrian people through the use of terror and violence -- Hizbullah's area of expertise.

“Today’s designations build upon a number of actions that the U.S. government has taken against Hizbullah over the years for its support for terrorism and its role in supporting the violence being perpetrated by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,” said the U.S. Treasury statement.

Hizbullah was designated for its support to the Government of Syria pursuant to E.O. 13582 in August 2012. It was also named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to E.O. 13224 in October 2001, and listed in the Annex to E.O. 12947 as a Specially Designated Terrorist (SDT) in January 1995. Nasrallah was designated pursuant to E.O. 12947 in January 1995.

“Since the beginning of the Syrian people's courageous campaign in early 2011 to secure their universal rights, Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah has overseen Hizbullah's efforts to help the Syrian regime’s violent crackdown on the Syrian civilian population by providing training, advice, and extensive logistical support to the Government of Syria. Hizbullah has directly trained Syrian government personnel inside Syria and has facilitated the training of Syrian forces by Iran's terrorist arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF). Also under Nasrallah, Hizbullah has played a substantial role in efforts to expel Syrian opposition forces from areas within Syria and coordinated its support to the Government of Syria with IRGC-QF and senior Syrian government officials. Indeed, under the direction of Nasrallah, Hizbullah since mid-2012 has escalated its support to the Government of Syria.

Mustafa Badreddine is a senior Hizbullah official who is believed to have replaced his cousin, Imad Mughniyah, as Hizbullah's top militant commander after Mughniyah's 2008 death. In June 2011, the prosecutor of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon charged Badreddine with the attack on February 14, 2005 that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others.

Talal Hamiyeh is the head of Hizbullah's External Security Organization (ESO), which maintains organized cells worldwide. The ESO is the Hizbullah element responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon.

Comments 14
Missing ydafylsa 13 September 2012, 19:41

Thought they were alreaday on the terror list!

Missing gabby3 13 September 2012, 20:11

First Hamas pulled away from the Hezz and ASSad. Now ASSad is swirling down the toilet. The Hezz are next. Nassy will come up with some BS speech in a day or two. Then he will change commanders so the new commanders will not be the ones named. He will play games.......but the black turban rat brigade is going to get smashed slowly. It will be enjoyable for the people of Lebanon to see after being terrorized by them for so long.

Default-user-icon Nayef (Guest) 14 September 2012, 05:27

william did u have by any chance too much ginger lately ?i think u should go back to your doctor and change prescriptions.your too hyper,"israeli memhoun,or shlomo wink wink ? ya sater ya rab alla yikoun bi-awnak ya william ya miskin.....

Thumb bigsami 13 September 2012, 20:19

A picture is worth a thousand words......

Come on folks (HA lab monkeys), if that does not show you what HA stands for, then you obviously belong in Syria under Assad's dictatorship and NOT Lebanon! HA does NOT give a rat turn about the country and it's future. They are preparing to send our country into a hell (wars). God help us!

Thumb bigsami 13 September 2012, 20:20

A picture is worth a thousand words......

Come on folks (HA lab monkeys), if that does not show you what HA stands for, then you obviously belong in Syria under Assad's dictatorship and NOT Lebanon! HA does NOT give a rat TURD about the country and it's future. They are preparing to send our country into a hell (wars). God help us!

Missing spartacus 13 September 2012, 20:20

the article is lenghty, and somewhere it says also that the E.O. has entered into effect in august. The content was in an old press release of the US Treasury. It's old news.

Even the Americans btw say that it will have no practical effects. Zero consequences.

The first and foremost objective of this fuss is to have it on the press, to push the idea that Hizbollah is is involved in Syria. Naharnet provided for this aim.

I assume the Treasury must have some solid evidence of Hezbollah involvement in Syria, collected by the CIA. I would have appreciated to know what they know, instead of all this circus.

About evidence of foreign involvement in Syria, here's a link about CNN crew suspected of being implicated in a terrorist act in Homs. I hope the public will put CNN on the blacklist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfSwJi_LUWk

Missing roger@10452 13 September 2012, 20:21

I guess Hassouni can't go to Detroit anymore on vacation...

Default-user-icon and the one who empowers hezbolah.. (Guest) 13 September 2012, 20:22

shud add mr michael aoun to this same list...

Missing gabby3 13 September 2012, 20:34

Go after the Hezz drug operations in South America and West Africa. They will pinch Hizbcocaine where it hurts most.

Missing allouchi 13 September 2012, 20:48

Watch out ya Berri...You have a lot of family and businesses in Detroit so you better behave or you might lose your Green Card and join Noussralla...

Missing people-power 13 September 2012, 20:57

Good move USA.

Next..... put Aoun on the list for supporting terrorists (HA) and for giving Christian cover for Hizzie political domination in Lebanon.

Default-user-icon Atef (Guest) 13 September 2012, 21:08

US is only admitting that Hizbullah are strong by this none valid statement:)

Hmmm time to put the black stamp for US embassy staffs and send them with lady geagea out from here:) KSA baby boy is already out:)

Thumb bigsami 13 September 2012, 21:12

Hizbullah and its leader Nasrallah have sought to depict their organization as a social and political party, as well as a resistance movement............ A resistance....LMAO! A mere limb of the devil himself......IRAN!

Thumb Bandoul 13 September 2012, 22:52

The only thing the Iranian mercenary group aka HA is resisting is the will of the Lebanese people.