US sanctions against Hezbollah leaders, Qaouq and Baghdadi



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Al-Qawouq and Baghdadi were included in sanctions lists based on Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists, leaders and officials of terrorist groups, and those who provide support for terrorists or terrorist acts. They are two top Hezbollah officials whose properties and interests have been banned.

Gaoq activity
And always, according to the US Department: Qaouk sits on Hezbollah’s Executive Council, which oversees the party’s social and economic activities, as well as its central council. In recent years, he has spoken publicly on behalf of Hezbollah and threatened war against Israel and attacked the American presence in the region, praising the party’s use of guerrilla warfare that undermines security in Lebanon. Kawouk also delivered speeches on behalf of the party on several occasions, including the funeral of the party’s dead, including the former commander of the Foreign Operations Unit with Imad Mughniyeh, and the former commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani. The latter are responsible for the deaths of countless Americans. In 2001, Mughniyeh’s name was placed on sanctions lists for his relationship with Hezbollah, and Soleimani’s name was placed on the lists in October 2011 for his activities in the Revolutionary Guard.

Baghdad Activity
Baghdadi publicly defines himself as a Hezbollah official, representing Hezbollah and speaking on its behalf on several occasions, praising Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and the party’s attacks on Americans in various speeches. And in 2020, Al-Baghdadi participated in a seminar in Lebanon during which he praised the Revolutionary Guard and its fighters in Syria and Iraq for attacking US military bases. Nasrallah was appointed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and members of the TFTC in May 2018 as working for or on behalf of Hezbollah, and he has led the party since 1992. In January 1995, OFAC had previously listed the name Nasr . God is on the sanctions lists for his threat to disrupt the Middle East peace process. He was also listed in September 2012 for supporting the Bashar al-Assad regime.

In 2015, Baghdadi attended a ceremony in Tehran, with (Hezbollah Undersecretary General) Naim Qassem and several other senior party officials, during which Qasem unveiled his book and praised Hezbollah’s war with Israel. The Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Terrorism Financing Targets Center placed Qasim on the sanctions list in May 2018 for his work for or on behalf of Hezbollah. The Terrorism Financing Targeting Center is an initiative between the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which has as objective to counter terrorist financing.

Penalties
The Treasury Department continues to prioritize the disruption of Hezbollah’s illicit financial activity, and since 2017, sanctions have been imposed on 90 individuals and entities affiliated with the party. The Office of Foreign Assets Control took these measures in accordance with Executive Order No. 13224, as amended, against terrorists and their supporters and their terrorist acts. The US State Department placed Hezbollah on its list of foreign terrorist organizations in 1997, and in 2001 it was designated a global terrorist organization.

Due to the measures imposed today, all the assets and interests of the aforementioned individuals are prohibited in the United States of America. Any entity you directly or indirectly own, 50% or more of them, individually or with other prohibited persons, is prohibited on US soil. USAIDS regulations prohibit all transactions issued or received by them, unless authorized under a public or private license issued by the office. The prohibition also includes providing any contribution, money, goods or services by or for the benefit of the aforementioned individuals.

And carrying out any transaction or service with these individuals carries the risk of imposing secondary sanctions (second degree) to the entities or persons that do so, in accordance with the same Resolution No. 13224 and in accordance with the Financial Sanctions Regulation against Hezbollah. , and under the Hezbollah International Financing Prohibition Act (2015) and the Amendments prohibiting international Party financing (2018). In accordance with these powers, the Office of Foreign Assets Control may prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintenance of a correspondent account or payable by a foreign financial institution that intentionally facilitates dealing with Hezbollah or for the benefit of a terrorist organization, or any person acting on behalf of or at the direction of Hizb allah.



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