The United States announced sanctions targeting individuals and entities associated with Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, and al-Quds Force, a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
According to a press release from the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), these sanctions impact six entities, two tankers and a money exchanger, all based or registered in Liberia, India, Vietnam, Lebanon, or Kuwait.
These entities are alleged to have facilitated commodity shipments and financial transactions benefiting the IRGC-QF, the Houthis, and Hezbollah.
Hostilities between Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Israel have escalated since the conflict with Hamas in Gaza began, leading to concerns about wider violence in the Middle East.
Along Lebanon’s southern border, clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops have displaced tens of thousands of people.
In a separate move, the Treasury Department has sanctioned 11 individuals’ entities involved in aiding financial transactions benefiting the Syrian government, evading sanctions, and trafficking Captagon.
Recent sanctions have focused on individuals and entities with ties to Hezbollah and Lebanon, targeting activities such as drug smuggling and cryptocurrency transfers.
These measures aim to disrupt the financial activities of groups associated with Hezbollah and al-Quds Force, with previous sanctions targeting similar support networks in Lebanon and Turkey.
Treasury Under Secretary, Brian E. Nelson, has reaffirmed the commitment to combat illicit activities linked to the IRGC-QF and its proxies.
Properties and interests belonging to sanctioned individuals and entities in the US will be frozen and reported to OFAC, with entities owned by them subject to being blocked if ownership exceeds 50%.
Related: US Reportedly Proposes Sponsoring Lebanese Army Presence In South Lebanon
