ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States has broadened its sanctions against Lebanese figures linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, including a prominent Christian politician and former presidential runner-up, the US Treasury Department announced, noting that the measures also target individuals and entities that have facilitated financial support for the group in at least four Arab countries, including Iraq and Syria.
The Treasury said on Thursday that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning Lebanese officials who “have used their influence to obstruct Lebanon’s peace process [with Israel] and delay the disarmament of Hizballah [Hezbollah],” adding that the group “relies on a network of officials to maintain power and exert influence throughout the Lebanese political and security establishment.”
Among those designated is Christian Maronite politician Sleiman Frangieh, leader of the Lebanese Marada Movement, whom the Treasury accused of leveraging “his strategic alliance with Hizballah to benefit his own political ambitions” and accepting “financial support” from the Iran-backed group in exchange for supporting its “efforts to target the parliamentary seats of reformist and independent members” during Lebanon’s legislative elections.
Of note, Frangieh in June 2023 was the March 8 bloc’s presidential candidate, backed mainly by Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement, but only secured 51 votes, falling short of the required two-thirds majority in the 128-member legislature to secure the top post. In January 2025, he withdrew his bid and endorsed then-Lebanese Army commander Joseph Aoun, who was later elected president as a consensus candidate.
Moreover, the OFAC also designated Lebanese nationals Alaa Hamieh, who “owns and controls” multiple network entities and acted as a core financier for the Tehran-backed group; Muhammad al-Bazzal, a “Hizballah finance team official”; and his brother Muhammad Hassan Hamieh, who works alongside him.
Two other individuals, Maya Boustany, was sanctioned for “multiple roles at Alaa Hamieh’s companies,” and Wael Costanteen, who serves as CEO for a network front company.
According to the Treasury, the group operated as a transnational network using front companies to conceal illicit cash flows, including schemes involving equipment supply contracts worth millions of dollars and bank transactions directed to Hezbollah projects. The network reportedly coordinated activities across Iraq, Lebanon, Oman and Syria to generate revenue and obscure its financial footprint on behalf of the group.
The latest sanctions follow measures imposed in late May, when the US sanctioned Iran’s ambassador to Beirut and eight Lebanese individuals, including Hezbollah lawmakers, whom the Treasury accused of “obstructing the peace process” between Lebanon and Israel and “impeding efforts” to disarm the Tehran-aligned group.
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