The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on nine individuals in Lebanon accused of supporting Hezbollah and obstructing efforts to disarm the Iran-backed group, in a move Washington described as part of a broader campaign to reinforce Lebanese sovereignty and weaken Hezbollah’s influence over state institutions.
The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), target Hezbollah-linked political figures, Lebanese security officials, Amal Movement operatives, and an Iranian diplomat accused of facilitating the group’s activities and undermining Lebanon’s peace and recovery process.
Among those designated were Hezbollah MPs Hassan Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Moussawi and Hussein Hajj Hassan, alongside senior Hezbollah official Mohammad Fneish, whom Treasury accused of advancing the group’s agenda within Lebanon’s political system and resisting calls for its disarmament.
Treasury also sanctioned Iranian Ambassador-designate to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Sheibani, as well as senior Amal Movement security officials Ahmad Asaad Baalbaki and Ali Ahmad Safawi. Additionally, Brigadier General Khattar Nasser Eldin of Lebanon’s General Security Directorate and Colonel Samir Hamadi of Lebanese Army Intelligence were accused of sharing intelligence with Hezbollah during the ongoing conflict over the past year.
“Hizballah is a terrorist organization and must be fully disarmed,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in the statement. “Treasury will continue to take action against officials who have infiltrated the Lebanese government and are enabling Hizballah to wage its senseless campaign of violence against the Lebanese people and obstruct lasting peace.”
In a parallel statement, the U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the sanctioned individuals were enabling Hezbollah to “undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty” and advance “the Iranian regime’s malicious agenda in Lebanon.”
The department added that Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm continued to prevent the Lebanese government from delivering “peace, stability, and prosperity” to the country, warning that “this is only the beginning.”
“Anyone still shielding or collaborating with this terrorist organization, or otherwise undermining Lebanon’s sovereignty, should understand that they will be held accountable,” the statement said.
Washington also reiterated support for Lebanon’s state institutions and renewed efforts to target Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure. The State Department noted that its Rewards for Justice program continues to offer up to $10 million for information disrupting Hezbollah’s financial networks.
The sanctions were issued under Executive Order 13224, the U.S. counterterrorism authority used to target individuals and entities accused of supporting terrorist organizations.
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