Five people and 3 companies were sanctioned Friday by the U.S. Treasury Department for alleged involvement in a Hezbollah sanctions evasion network. Hezbollah fighters stand next to the coffin of late senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr, killed in an Israeli strike, during the funeral procession in Beirut, Lebanon, Aug. 1, 2024. File photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA-EFE
March 28 (UPI) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday sanctioned five people and 3 companies for alleged involvement in a sanctions evasion network. The sanction targets are part of an evasion network supporting the Hezbollah finance team, according to the Treasury Department.
“These evasion networks strengthen Iran and its proxy Hezbollah and undermine the courageous efforts of the Lebanese people to build a Lebanon for all its citizens,” Treasury’s Bradley T. Smith said in a statement.
Individuals sanctioned were Rashid Qasim al-Bazzal, Mahasin Mahmud Murtada, Fatimah ‘Abdallah Ayyub, Hawra’ ‘Abdallah Ayyub, and Jamil Mohamad Khafaja.
Treasury said in a statement, “The individuals and companies designated today are part of a network of revenue-generating commercial enterprises owned or controlled” by Hezbollah.
They allegedly “facilitate and mask oil sales for the IRGC-QF” and provide Hezbollah “with crucial access to the formal financial system,” according to the Treasury Department.
The sanctioned companies are Ravee SARL, Lebanese United Group and Securol Glass Curtains. Treasury said they are being sanctioned because they are owned or controlled by the sanctioned individuals.
Treasury also announced Friday a $10 million reward is being offered “for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms” of Hezbollah.
The reward is part of the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program.