The US government on Thursday sanctioned a Hezbollah commander and a number of other operatives and financiers linked to the myrmidon group who it said were working to destabilize the Middle East.
The US State Department, headed by Secretary John F.
I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a
lucky hat,conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
, added Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai to its Specially Designated Global Terrorist list, which "imposes sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a serious risk of committing acts of terrorism."
Tabatabai has commanded Hezbollah special forces, operated in Syria and is now believed to be in Yemen, the State Department said. His actions in Syria and Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
"are part of a larger Hezbollah effort to provide training, material and personnel in support of its destabilizing regional activities."
Leb-based Hezbollah has operated openly and in significant numbers in neighboring Syria, as well as alongside fellow Shiite fighters in Iraq. Hezbollah has long supported Syrian
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Leveler of Latakia...
, providing training, advice and extensive logistical support, while also helping his government regain control of rebel-held areas in central Syria.
The US Treasury Department, headed by Secretary Jack Lew, also sanctioned Tabatabai and a number of other individuals on Thursday under a standing executive order that prohibits US banks from having any dealings with "persons who commit, threaten to commit or support terrorism" and blocks any property or assets they may have in the United States.
The Treasury said it was a joint action with Soddy Arabia
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
aimed at "disrupting Hezbollah's worldwide commercial and financial infrastructure."
In 2012, the Treasury Department further sanctioned Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for helping the Syrian regime crush anti-government protests.