US sanctions Lebanese network over alleged oil, LPG smuggling for Hezbollah

The Biden administration on Wednesday issued sanctions on a Lebanese network it accused of smuggling oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to help fund the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. (AFP/File)
Short Url
Updated 11 September 2024
Follow

US sanctions Lebanese network over alleged oil, LPG smuggling for Hezbollah

  • The sanctions target three people, five companies and two vessels that the US Treasury Department said were overseen by a senior leader of Hezbollah’s finance team

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration on Wednesday issued sanctions on a Lebanese network it accused of smuggling oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to help fund the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
The sanctions target three people, five companies and two vessels that the US Treasury Department said were overseen by a senior leader of Hezbollah’s finance team and used profits from illicit LPG shipments to Syria to aid generate revenue for the group.
Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith, in a statement, said Hezbollah “continues to launch rockets into Israel and fuel regional instability, choosing to prioritize funding violence over taking care of the people it claims to care about, including the tens of thousands displaced in southern Lebanon.”


US envoy Waltz begins regional trip to promote Trump Gaza peace plan

Updated 5 sec ago
Follow

US envoy Waltz begins regional trip to promote Trump Gaza peace plan

  • High-level talks in Jordan, Israel part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability, US mission says
  • Envoy will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees

NEW YORK: US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz begins a trip to Jordan and Israel on Saturday to promote President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan, the US Mission to the UN said, casting the visit as part of Washington’s push to advance regional stability and support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Waltz will travel from Dec. 6–10 and is expected to meet senior leaders in both countries. In Jordan, he will hold talks with King Abdullah II and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi on bilateral cooperation and Amman’s role in facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza.
He will also meet humanitarian groups and review efforts to support Syrian refugees, the mission said.
In Israel, Waltz is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to discuss US-Israel coordination at the UN and shared security priorities. He will tour Israel’s northern and southern borders for briefings on the implementation of Resolution 2803, visit the Kerem Shalom crossing to assess aid flows into Gaza, and review operations of the Coordination and Monitoring Mechanism for Gaza.
Waltz will also meet Acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov to discuss humanitarian work and efforts to advance peace.
The mission said the trip reflects Trump’s commitment to ending regional conflicts and securing a “peaceful and prosperous future” for the Middle East.