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US and Qatar take action against Hezbollah’s financial network with sanctions

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the move to target Hezbollah’s financial network was 'one of the most significant joint actions' between Washington and a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
2 min read
30 September, 2021
Hezbollah is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US [source: Getty]

The United States and took coordinated action on Wednesday targeting a financial network in the Arabian Peninsula, the US Treasury Department said in a statement.

The Treasury said it designated individuals including Ali Reda Hassan al-Banai, Ali Reda al-Qassabi Lari and Abd al-Muayyid al-Banaiare for having provided financial or material support to Hezbollah.Ìý

is a Lebanon-based Shi'ite Islamist group that Washington has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

Qatar had also designated the network, the Treasury said, but it did not detail those actions.

"Hezbollah seeks to abuse the international financial system by developing global networks of financiers to fill its coffers and support its terrorist activity," said Andrea Gacki, director of the US department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.

"The cross-border nature of this Hezbollah financial network underscores the importance of our continued cooperation with international partners, such as the Government of Qatar, to protect the US and international financial systems from terrorist abuse."

The individuals include citizens of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and , as well as a Palestinian, the department said on its website.

said the move was "one of the most significant joint actions" Washington has taken with a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council and urged other governments to follow suit in targeting Hezbollah.

had also concurrently frozen bank accounts related to the network and referred three individuals to its prosecutor's office, Blinken said in a statement.

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