WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions against a gold exchange it said facilitates Iranian financial support to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite movement that has been battered by Israel.
The Treasury Department said the targeted gold exchange was part of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah financial institution already under US sanctions and whose branches were bombed by Israel in 2024 strikes.
“Hezbollah is a threat to peace and stability in the Middle East,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
“Treasury will work to cut these terrorists off from the global financial system to give Lebanon a chance to be peaceful and prosperous again.”
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the gold exchange, Jood Sarl, which it said “masquerades as a non-governmental organization” and is used to ensure Hezbollah’s cash flow from Iran.
It also said it was imposing sanctions on a number of individuals or entities, including a Russian national, for working on Hezbollah’s finances.
The sanctions freeze any assets in the United States and make financial transactions with the listed entities a crime.
Israel struck a major blow against Hezbollah in the 2024 war, killing its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, a year after Hamas, another group backed by Iran, carried out a devastating attack against Israel.
In accordance with a truce, the Lebanese army said it had disarmed Hezbollah in an area close to the Israeli border. But Hezbollah has refused to surrender further arms and Israel says progress is insufficient, keeping up periodic attacks.
US sanctions target alleged Hezbollah gold exchange
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US sanctions target alleged Hezbollah gold exchange
- Treasury Department says the exchange was part of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah financial institution already under US sanctions
Israeli military says unintentionally struck UN agency truck in Gaza
- “Our teams are taking extraordinary risks every day to keep humanitarian operations and life-sustaining services running,” UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva said in a statement, calling for an investigation into the incident
TEL AVIV: Israel’s military said on Friday that a “firing component” launched by its navy unintentionally struck a fuel truck belonging to a United Nations agency in Gaza the previous day, an incident that prompted the agency to publicly call for a full investigation.
The United Nations Office for Project Services, which oversees fuel distribution in Gaza, said that the empty fuel truck was struck on Thursday around 5 a.m. from the direction of the sea, causing damage to the vehicle. There were no injuries.
“Our teams are taking extraordinary risks every day to keep humanitarian operations and life-sustaining services running,” UNOPS Executive Director Jorge Moreira da Silva said in a statement, calling for an investigation into the incident.
“They should not have to do that under fire,” he said.
In response to Reuters questions, the Israeli military said that the incident occurred during defensive naval activity, and that a firing component deviated from its intended trajectory.
The fuel truck sustained “minor damage,” the military said in a statement. The military did not say what type of munitions had been fired, or what had been the navy’s intended target.
“The incident was reviewed, and lessons were learned accordingly,” it said, without providing further details.
The fuel truck had been on its way to the Kerem Shalom crossing when it was struck, and the truck’s movements had been coordinated with Israeli authorities in advance, UNOPS said.
