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U.S. sanctions 7 senior leaders at Hezbollah-linked Al-Qard Al-Hasan

U.S. sanctions 7 senior leaders at Hezbollah-linked Al-Qard Al-Hasan

UPI04-07-2025
Debris lies at the site of a damaged branch of Al-Qard al-Hasan, a financial institution linked to Lebanon's Hezbollah in the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on Sunday that hit several branches of the institution, in Beirut suburbs, Lebanon, on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. File Photo by Fadel Itani/ UPI | License Photo
July 4 (UPI) -- The United States has sanctioned seven senior officials and one firm linked to Al-Qard Al-Hasan, a U.S.-designated, Hezbollah-controlled financial institution that came under attack last fall during Israel's war against the Iran-proxy militia in Lebanon.
Thursday's sanctions are the latest in a series by the U.S. Treasury targeting Hezbollah and follow U.S. actions against various revenue-generating operations of the militia during Israel's war against Hamas, another Iran-backed group, in Gaza, which began in October 2023.
Al-Qard Al-Hasan was blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury in July 2007, and its group of so-called shadow bankers in Lebanon was sanctioned in 2021.
On Thursday, the Treasury sanctioned Nehme Ahmad Jamil, 54, and his Tashilat SARL company he co-owns with Ahmad Mohamad Yazbeck, who was among the shadow bankers designated nearly five years ago.
Other senior officers at Al-Qard Al-Hasan sanctioned Thursday include Issa Hussein Kassir, 47, Samer Hasan Fawaz, 50, Imad Mohamad Bezz, 47, Ali Mohamad Karnib, 38, Ali Ahmad Krisht, 47, and Mohammed Suleiman Badir, 49.
According to the U.S. Treasury, these designations aim to disrupt Hezbollah's sanctions-evasion schemes and help the Lebanese government curb the group's influence.
"Through their roles at AQAH, these officials sought to obfuscate Hezbollah's interest in seemingly legitimate transactions at Lebanese financial institutions, exposing these banks to significant AML/CFT risk while allowing Hezbollah to funnel money for its own benefit," Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender said in a statement.
"As Hezbollah seeks money to rebuild its operations, Treasury remains strongly committed to dismantling the group's financial infrastructure and limiting its ability to reconstitute itself."
Hezbollah became involved in the Israel-Gaza war a day after it began, launching rockets into northern Israel.
In October, with much of Gaza destroyed and tens of thousands of Palestinians killed, Israel intensified its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon, launching ground and artillery operations, seeking to eradicate the militant group in order to prevent it from further attacking Israel.
Among its targets was Al-Qard Al-Hasan, with dozens of its branches destroyed in Beirut's southern suburbs and southern and eastern Lebanon.
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Israel's Netanyahu set to give final approval for Gaza City takeover
Israel's Netanyahu set to give final approval for Gaza City takeover

Los Angeles Times

time17 minutes ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Israel's Netanyahu set to give final approval for Gaza City takeover

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So far, there has been little sign of Palestinians fleeing en masse, as they did when Israel carried out an earlier offensive in Gaza City in the opening weeks of the war. The military says it controls around 75% of Gaza and residents say nowhere in the territory feels safe. Hundreds gathered for a rare protest in Gaza City on Thursday against the war and Israel's plans to support the mass relocation Palestinians to other countries. Women and children held placards reading 'Save Gaza' and 'Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us,' against a backdrop of destroyed buildings as Palestinian music played. Unlike in previous protests, there were no expressions of opposition to Hamas. 'We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,' said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City. 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Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. human rights office say Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people since May as they headed toward sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, and in the chaos surrounding U.N. aid convoys, which are frequently attacked by looters and overrun by crowds. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces. GHF says there has been almost no violence at the sites themselves, and that its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding. Israeli airstrikes also destroyed a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, the only city in Gaza that has been relatively unscathed in the war and where many have sought refuge. Residents said the Israeli military warned them flee shortly before the strikes set the camp ablaze, and there were no reports of casualties. 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Marjorie Taylor Greene, Megyn Kelly reveal why Israel is losing MAGA support
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Megyn Kelly reveal why Israel is losing MAGA support

The Hill

time17 minutes ago

  • The Hill

Marjorie Taylor Greene, Megyn Kelly reveal why Israel is losing MAGA support

There are few women more important in the conservative media ecosystem than Megyn Kelly. The former Fox News host has her own podcast empire, and is among the most influential pro-Trump voices in independent media. Though initially combative with Donald Trump while previously serving as a host at Fox, Kelly has become an ideologically reliable enforcer and promoter of pro-Trump views, particular on cultural issues. On foreign policy, she has been an ardent defender of Israel and the U.S.'s special relationship with that country. And so it really means something when even Megyn Kelly is sounding less than enthusiastic about what Israel is doing in Gaza, about the level of financial support the U.S. is supplying to Israel, and the amount of influence the Israeli lobby exerts on the U.S. government. On her show this week, she invited on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to discuss pro-Israel group AIPAC, and the sway it holds over other members of Congress. Like Kelly, MTG's MAGA credentials are unimpeachable. She is one of Trump' most reliable backers, and she believes in America First. But MTG is questioning whether reflexively supporting everything the Israeli government does is actually in America's best interests. She also resents the level of influence that AIPAC seems to exercise over her colleagues. Here is MTG explaining it to Kelly: 'Israel is the only country I know of that has some sort of incredible influence and control over nearly every single one of my colleagues. … I don't know how to explain it.' Elsewhere in the interview, Kelly does plenty of throat clearing. She says she has always supported Israel's right to defend itself, and still does. She would never ever side with a terrorist group. She's unwavering in that regard. But she knows that the ground is shifting. 'There's a contingent of people who are worried that they're 'losing me,' and I've said, you're not losing — I'm not on Hamas's side, but it's been a while now that this is going on, and we're getting more involved with the Iranian bombing and so on. My own feelings, I'm looking at Israel in a different way right now than I was on 10-8, that's for sure — of '23. And I can feel the pressure being slightly ratcheted up.' Megyn Kelly is not alone. The fact is that many, many, many people in the MAGA movement are becoming more suspicious of the Israeli government. That does not mean they are anti-Israel, and it certainly doesn't mean they're anti-Semitic. What it means is that Israel has a slow-rolling PR crisis on its hands. For decades, Israel has enjoyed unqualified support from Republicans and Democrats, and in exchange, the president of the United States was able to exercise some power over the Israeli government's actions in the Middle East. Presidents from Reagan to Bush to Clinton to Obama got to say, OK, enough is enough, we aren't getting dragged into World War III. But under the Biden administration that changed, as President Biden basically let Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do whatever he wanted in Gaza as a result of October 7. Even as that ultimately meant the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people, the utter destruction of Gaza, and the starvation of women and children. Israel's backers are now forced to present deeply uncomfortable arguments about how, well, such and such child is not really, starving, they were already very sick. These are not winning arguments, and MAGA is noticing. I've certainly noticed it — and I've been defending Israel's right to defeat the terrorist group Hamas for years. I've been uncompromising on this. But like Megyn Kelly, and like Marjorie Taylor Greene, I cannot defend an unending campaign that kills tens of thousands of children. I can't defend a foreign lobbying group sidestepping requirements that every other foreign government has to follow, like signing up under FARA. And I've never defended the aid money we send to Israel: Israel is a rich country with a lower debt-to-GDP ratio than the U.S. Let them buy our weapons with their own money. Which brings me to my last point. There are certainly elements of MAGA that want to back aid and support to Israel no matter what. I retweeted the MTG/Kelly interview on X, and Laura Loomer replied to me: 'MTG doesn't speak for MAGA.' True, she doesn't speak for everyone. But young, online, right-leaning MAGA folks are resentful of how much money we send to Israel. If Israel wants to restore its good standing with the America First crowd, they don't necessarily have to compromise their policies, but they should consider ending their reliance on our aid.

Israel's Netanyahu set to give final approval for Gaza City takeover despite protests
Israel's Netanyahu set to give final approval for Gaza City takeover despite protests

Boston Globe

time17 minutes ago

  • Boston Globe

Israel's Netanyahu set to give final approval for Gaza City takeover despite protests

Advertisement Israeli strikes meanwhile killed at least 36 Palestinians across Gaza on Thursday, according to local hospitals. A renewed offensive could bring even more casualties and displacement to the territory, where the war has already killed tens of thousands and where experts of have warned of imminent famine. Many Israelis fear it could also doom the remaining 20 or so living hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. Gaza City operation could begin in days Israeli troops have already begun more limited operations in the city's Zeitoun neighborhood and the built-up Jabaliya refugee camp, areas where they have carried out several previous major operations over the course of the war, only to see militants later regroup. Advertisement The military says it plans to operate in areas where ground troops have not yet entered and where it says Hamas still has military and governing capabilities. So far, there has been little sign of Palestinians fleeing en masse, as they did when Israel carried out an earlier offensive in Gaza City in the opening weeks of the war. The military says it controls around 75 percent of Gaza and residents say nowhere in the territory feels safe. Hundreds gathered for a rare protest in Gaza City on Thursday against the war and Israel's plans to support the mass relocation Palestinians to other countries. Women and children held placards reading 'Save Gaza' and 'Stop the war, stop the savage attack, save us,' against a backdrop of destroyed buildings as Palestinian music played. Unlike in previous protests, there were no expressions of opposition to Hamas. 'We want the war on Gaza to stop. We don't want to migrate. Twenty-two months … it's enough. Enough death. Enough destruction,' said Bisan Ghazal, a woman displaced from Gaza City. Protests in Israel In Israel, families of some of the 50 hostages still being held in Gaza gathered in Tel Aviv to condemn the expanded operation. Israel believes around 20 hostages are still alive. 'Forty-two hostages were kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity due to military pressure and delay in signing a deal,' said Dalia Cusnir, whose brother-in-law, Eitan Horn, is still being held captive. Eitan's brother, Iair Horn, was released during a ceasefire earlier this year. 'Enough to sacrifice the hostages. Enough to sacrifice the soldiers, both regular and reservists. Enough to sacrifice the evacuees. Enough to sacrifice the younger generation in the country,' said Bar Goddard, the daughter of Meni Goddard, whose body is being held by Hamas. Advertisement Additional protests are planned for Thursday night in Tel Aviv. Plans for widening the offensive have also sparked international outrage, with many of Israel's closest Western allies — but not the United States — calling on it to end the war. 'I must reiterate that it is vital to reach immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, and the unconditional release of all hostages to avoid the massive death and destruction that a military operation against Gaza City would inevitably cause,' United Nations chief António Guterres said at a conference in Japan. Dozens killed across Gaza At least 36 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including 14 who were seeking humanitarian aid, according to local hospitals. The Israeli military did not have any immediate comment on the strikes but has frequently accused Hamas militants of hiding among civilians and placing military infrastructure in civilian areas. Witnesses, health officials and the U.N. human rights office say Israeli forces have killed hundreds of people since May as they headed toward sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor, and in the chaos surrounding U.N. aid convoys, which are frequently attacked by looters and overrun by crowds. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces. GHF says there has been almost no violence at the sites themselves, and that its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding. Israeli strikes destroy evacuated tent camp Israeli airstrikes also destroyed a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, the only city in Gaza that has been relatively unscathed in the war and where many have sought refuge. Residents said the Israeli military warned them flee shortly before the strikes set the camp ablaze, and there were no reports of casualties. Advertisement Families, many with children, could later be seen sifting through the ashes for the belongings they had managed to take with them during earlier evacuations. Mohammad Kahlout, who had been displaced from northern Gaza, said they were given just five minutes to gather what they could and evacuate. 'We are civilians, not terrorists. What did we do, and what did our children do, to be displaced again?' The Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday that at least 62,192 Palestinians have been killed in the war. Another two people have died from malnutrition-related causes, bringing the total number of such deaths to 271, including 112 children, the Health Ministry said. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. It does not say whether those killed by Israeli fire are civilians or combatants, but it says around half are women and children. The U.N. and many independent experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties. Israel disputes its toll but has not provided its own. Hamas-led militants started the war when they attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Hamas says it will only free the rest in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. ___ Abou Aljoud reported from Beirut and Lidman reported from Jerusalem. Mari Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.

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