By Lamin Njie
The United States has announced it will pay up to 10 million dollars for information that disrupts the finances of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant organization.
A U.S. government official announced the award on Monday, saying the sum would be paid to those who give information about major Hezbollah donors and financiers as well as businesses that support the organization and banks that facilitate the group’s transactions.
“Make no mistake, the United States government will use all available tools to extinguish Hezbollah’s sources of revenue. We will also target any and all financial means of the group and its masters in Iran and any mechanism that they together use to support terrorist activities in the Middle East and in fact around the world,” a senior State Department official said.
“Since 2017, the Treasury has moved at an unprecedented rate to disrupt Hezbollah’s financial activities and deny it access to the global financial system. We designated more than 40 individuals and entities, working behind the scenes as well with friendly nations, scores of countries to close down Hezbollah controlled companies, money exchanges and laundering operations from Argentina and Paraguay to The Gambia to Dubai.”
The State Department listed three alleged Hezbollah financiers as examples of the activities they are hoping to stop.
Adham Tabaja is allegedly a Hezbollah member who has direct ties to senior Hezbollah organizational elements, including the terrorist group’s operational component, Islamic Jihad. Tabaja also holds properties in Lebanon on behalf of the group.
Ali Youssef Charara allegedly received millions of dollars from Hezbollah to invest in commercial projects that financially support the terrorist group, and Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi allegedly provided millions of dollars to Hezbollah generated from his business activities.
Meanwhile, the payments will be made by the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, which until now was focused on offering cash rewards for information that leads to the capture of wanted terrorists.
