The US administration announced on Thursday sanctions against a bank and four individuals in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip who are believed to have helped transfer millions of dollars from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force to Hamas' military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, as well as helping facilitate the financial activities of Hezbollah.
The US has sanctioned Lebanon-based Jammal Trust Bank SAL and its subsidiaries for allegedly facilitating the financial activities of Hezbollah, according to the Treasury Department, which said that the bank funnels money to the families of suicide bombers.
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The United States is determined to cut off support in Lebanon for the group, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement, adding that "Jammal Trust's misconduct undermines the integrity of the Lebanese financial system."
Since 1997, the United States has labeled Hezbollah a terrorist group, saying that it threatens the peace and stability of the Middle East and is backed by Iran. Jammal Trust is a 50-year-old commercial bank with branches throughout Lebanon, according to its website.
A senior administration official told reporters in a conference call laying out the sanctions that "we do have a very good relationship with the central bank of Lebanon and we have confidence that they'll take the right action here."
"It sends the message loud and clear that the United States is very serious about disrupting terrorist activity and will continue to take action where we believe it's warranted," the official said.
But the Lebanese association of banks said that it regretted the decision. In a statement cited by local media, the association said the move would not affect Lebanon's banking sector and reassured depositors that their money in the bank would be secure.
