US Treasury sanctions 6 individuals, 8 firms with Hizballah ties

By Ovunc Kutlu

ANKARA (AA) - The US Treasury Department announced Thursday it imposed sanctions on six individuals and eight companies that have ties with Hizballah.

The Treasury said its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Ahmad Jalal Reda Abdallah, a Lebanese businessman and Hizballah financial facilitator, as well as five of his associates and eight of his companies in Lebanon and Iraq.

"Hizballah has built a web of businesses to hide its activities and generate funds for its destabilizing activities, all at the expense of accountability and public safety in Lebanon and the region," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said in a statement.

The agency said Abdallah used senior employees and relatives to establish new businesses throughout the Middle East on behalf of Hizballah.

He also established food companies, which are sanctioned by the OFAC, because he perceived those sectors as less likely to be targets of sanctions, it added.

The companies sanctioned, which are mostly incorporated in Lebanon and operate in Iraq, are subsidiaries of United General Holding which is involved in construction and engineering projects, according to the Treasury.