US sanctions against the leaders of Hezbollah, Qaouq and Baghdadi

Al-Qawouq and Baghdadi were placed on the sanctions list based on Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists, leaders and officials of terrorist groups, and those who provide support to terrorists or terrorist acts. They are two leading Hezbollah officials whose properties and interests have been forbidden.

Qawooq activity
And always, according to the US Department: Qaouk holds a position on the Executive Council of Hezbollah, which oversees the party’s social and economic activities, as well as its central council. In recent years, he has spoken publicly on behalf of Hezbollah and threatened war against Israel and attacked the US presence in the region, praising the party’s use of guerrilla warfare that undermines security in Lebanon. Kawouk also delivered speeches on behalf of the party on various occasions, including the funeral of the party’s dead, including the former commander of the Foreign Operations Unit with Imad Mughniyeh, and the former commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani. Both of the latter are responsible for the deaths of countless Americans. In 2001, Mughniyeh’s name was included in the sanctions lists for his relationship with Hezbollah, and Soleimani’s name was included on the lists in October 2011 for his activities in the Revolutionary Guard.

Baghdad activity
Baghdadi defines himself publicly as an official in Hezbollah, and represented Hezbollah and spoke on its behalf on various occasions, praising in several speeches the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the party’s targeting of Americans. In 2020, Al-Baghdadi participated in a seminar in Lebanon during which he praised the Revolutionary Guard and its fighters in Syria and Iraq for attacking US military bases. The Office of Foreign Assets Control and members of the TFTC designated Nasrallah in May 2018 for working for or on behalf of Hezbollah, and has been the leader of the party since 1992. In January 1995, the OFAC had previously listed the name Nasr. God is on the sanctions lists for his threat to disrupt the Middle East peace process. It was also listed on the lists in September 2012 for providing support to the Bashar al-Assad regime.

In 2015, Baghdadi attended a ceremony in Tehran, with (Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General) Naim Qassem and several other senior officials in the party, during which Qassem revealed his book and praised Hezbollah’s war with Israel. The Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center included Qasim on the sanctions list in May 2018 for his work for or on behalf of Hezbollah. The Terrorism Financing Targeting Center is an initiative between the United States, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, which aims to counter terrorist financing.

Penalties
The Treasury Department continues to prioritize disrupting Hezbollah’s illicit financial activity, and since 2017, sanctions have been imposed on 90 individuals and entities affiliated with the party. The Office of Foreign Assets Control took these measures in accordance with Executive Order No. 13224, as amended, targeting terrorists and those who support them and their terrorist acts. The US State Department placed Hezbollah on its list of foreign terrorist organizations in 1997, and in 2001 it was designated a global terrorist organization.

Due to the measures imposed today, all property and interests of the above-mentioned individuals are prohibited in the United States of America. Any entities owned by them directly or indirectly, 50% or more by them, individually, or with other banned persons, are prohibited on US soil. USAIDS regulations prohibit all transactions issued or received by them, unless authorized under a public or private license issued by the office. The prohibition also includes providing any contribution, money, goods or services by or for the benefit of the aforementioned individuals.

And engaging in any transactions or services with these individuals entails the risk of imposing secondary sanctions (of the second degree) on the entities or persons who do so, in accordance with the same Resolution No. 13224 and in accordance with the Financial Sanctions Regulations against Hezbollah, and under the Law on Prohibition of International Funding for Hezbollah ( 2015) and the Amendments Banning International Funding of the Party Act (2018). Pursuant to these powers, the Office of Foreign Assets Control can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining a correspondent or account payable by a foreign financial institution that intentionally facilitates dealing with Hezbollah or for the benefit of a terrorist organization, or any person acting on behalf or at the direction of Hizb allah.