US imposes sanctions on Hezbollah officials for Syria support

The US government imposed sanctions on Tuesday on three leaders of the militant group Hezbollah and a businessman in Lebanon, saying they are key players in the group’s military operations in Syria.

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The US Treasury Department said in a statement that Mustafa Badr Al Din, Ibrahim Aqil, and Fu’ad Shukr, military officials within Hezbollah, had coordinated or participated in the group’s military support for the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s ongoing civil war.

Also named was Abd al Nur Shalan, which the US called the “point person for the procurement and transshipment of weapons and materiel for (Hezbollah) and its Syrian partners for at least 15 years.”

Being designated for sanctions allows the Treasury to freeze any assets on US territory tied to the individuals, and forbids any Americans or US institutions from doing business with them.

The Treasury said the new action was the latest in efforts the US government is taking against Lebanon-based Hezbollah “for its violent terrorist activities and its support to the Assad regime’s attacks against the Syrian people.”

“We will pursue all of Hezbollah’s revenue sources, whether charitable fundraising, criminal proceeds, or state sponsorship,” said Adam Szubin, Treasury acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.