The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Friday sanctioned a global network tied to Hezbollah, accusing it of diverting more than $100 million to support the group’s operations.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated 16 individuals and entities linked to Lebanese financier Alaa Hassan Hamieh. Officials said he controls a network of companies that raise and launder funds for Hezbollah through family members and associates.
The network operates across Lebanon, Syria, Poland, Slovenia, Qatar, and Canada, according to the Treasury.
“Iran is the head of the snake when it comes to global terrorism, and its proxies, such as Hizballah, carry out Tehran’s mission to sow chaos and destruction beyond its borders,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
“Hizballah continues to divert funds that rightfully belong to the Lebanese people to finance its terrorist operations.”
Treasury said Hamieh used a network of companies, including telecommunications and logistics firms, to move funds and support Hezbollah’s finance operations. Officials said he worked with other members of the group’s financial network, including individuals previously designated by the U.S. government.
Treasury also said Hamieh previously held a senior role with Lebanon’s Investment Development Authority and used that position to access funds tied to a reconstruction-related agreement between Iraq and Lebanon, directing money toward Hezbollah-linked projects.
Treasury said it issued the designations under Executive Order 13224, a post-9/11 counterterrorism sanctions authority used to disrupt terrorist financing networks.
The sanctions block any U.S.-based assets tied to the individuals and entities and prohibit U.S. persons from conducting transactions with them. Foreign financial institutions risk secondary sanctions for facilitating significant transactions linked to the network.
The sanctions come amid broader concerns about Hezbollah’s global financial reach. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, a former Venezuelan general alleged in a December 2025 letter that the Maduro regime maintained ties with Iran and Hezbollah as part of a wider transnational network.
Treasury officials in November 2025 sanctioned operatives accused of funneling tens of millions of dollars from Iran through Lebanese exchange houses to finance Hezbollah activities.
The State Department designated Hezbollah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997.
