USA, Gulf States impose new sanctions against Hezbollah leaders

The United States, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates started to impose further sanctions on Hezbollah leaders, proclaiming the Iran-backed Lebanese group a terrorist organisation and dismissing the distinction between the party’s political and armed wings.

Additional US sanctions targeted Hezbollah’s top officials, including its leader Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy Naim Qassem. The measures were imposed jointly by Washington and its partners in the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC), which includes the US Treasury Department said.

The Iran-backed group is a major political party in Lebanon, and has emerged with one of the biggest parliamentary blocs after the country’s elections earlier this month. Washington also blacklisted members of Hezbollah’s Shura Council, its primary decision-making body, the US Treasury said.