The United States Department of the Treasury announced this Thursday the adoption of sanctions against three individuals and five companies for their relationship with the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah. Among those affected is the leader of a conservative and Christian political party in Lebanon.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has included Suleiman Frangié, leader of the Marada Movement, in its list. The Marada Movement currently holds three seats in the Lebanese Parliament and is one of the Christian parties aligned with Hezbollah and the Shiite Amal party.
The Treasury has decided to sanction Frangié, grandson of the former president of the same name, for having "used his strategic alliance with Hezbollah to advance his own political ambitions." It also detailed that "Frangie accepted financial support from Hezbollah in exchange for backing the group's efforts to seize parliamentary seats from reformist and independent deputies in the Lebanese parliamentary elections."
Also on the list of sanctioned individuals is the deputy director of Hezbollah's political council, Mahmud Qamati, who "coordinates the smuggling of cash from Iran to Hezbollah and defends Hezbollah's interests in Lebanon," according to information released by the U.S. Treasury.
The package of measures also includes a man identified as Wael Constanteen, identified as the director of the Iraq-based insurance company Al-Shafa Administrative Services Limited (Al-Shafa), which has also been sanctioned.
Along with this firm, four other companies have been affected due to their ties to the Shiite group: Globe Technology Providers SARL (Globe SARL) and Tyke SAL, both based in Lebanon; Al-'Ahd Company for Trade and Investment (Al-'Ahd Company), linked to Hezbollah and based in Syria; and Globe International SPC, based in Oman.