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On Tuesday, the United States imposed sanctions on the two former Lebanese ministers, Ali Hassan Khalil and Youssef Fenianos, for their cooperation with Hezbollah and their involvement in corruption operations.
Khalil, a former finance minister, is an advisor to the Speaker of Parliament, the leader of the Amal Movement, Nabih Berri, while Fenianus is a close associate of the leader of the Marada Movement, Sulaiman Franjieh.
Al-Marada and Amal are among the most prominent allies of Hezbollah militias linked to the Iranian regime, and are on the US terrorist lists.
And a US official announced Tuesday that the US administration will not hesitate to impose sanctions on any person or party that supports Hezbollah.
In a statement, US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin warned that “the United States supports the people of Lebanon in their demand for reforms and will continue to use all means at its disposal to attack those who oppress and exploit them.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a tweet: “We support the Lebanese call for reform and will improve accountability for anyone who facilitates Hezbollah’s terrorist agenda. Today, the United States is punishing two former ministers. corrupt Lebanese who abused their positions to provide material support to Hezbollah. “
We support the Lebanese people’s call for reform and will promote accountability for anyone who facilitates Hezbollah’s terrorist agenda. Today, the United States is appointing two corrupt former Lebanese ministers who abused their positions to provide material support to Hezbollah.
– Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) September 8, 2020
US Under Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Schenker said Tuesday that “Hezbollah’s allies must know that we will persecute them in the future and that the pressure on the party will increase.”
Schenker added, in statements relayed by the Al-Hurra correspondent, that “Phinianus and Khalil were involved in corruption operations that allow Hezbollah to operate in Lebanon, and the sanctions are a message to the party and its allies that it is time to another policy in Lebanon. “
US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus confirmed Tuesday that the United States “supports the Lebanese people and is committed to helping them recover from the effects of the Beirut explosion tragedy.”
A report in the “National Review” magazine said that Hezbollah has become one of the main suspects in the cases of political corruption in Lebanon, as revealed by the massive explosion that destroyed the capital, Beirut, on August 4.
The political and economic reform process has also become dependent on undermining Hezbollah’s state control and tightening the screws of the terrorist organization in the United States and some European countries, according to the same report.
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