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OFAC adds to its SDN list Nabih Berri aide and former Finance Minister (!) Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as former public works minister (!) Youssef Finianos, who is close to Assad’s friend, Suleiman Frangieh.
The designations are counterterrorism designations (not GloMag). 1/
The designations are counterterrorism designations (not GloMag). 1/
A couple of things: Fenianos is also close to designated Hezbollah security chief, Wafiq Safa (more on him here: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2019/07/11/sanctioned-hezbollah-security-chief-works-closely-with-lebanese-authorities/). That’s included in his designation: https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1116 2/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303384321450037248
As for Ali Hassan Khalil, first, his position as Minister of Finance should be noted. Hezbollah and Amal have taken hold of this cabinet position, whose signature is key. Also, in this capacity, Khalil and the ministry allowed Hezbollah to bypass sanctions. 3/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303388104557039616
One direct example is found in 2017, during Khalil’s tenure. See here: https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2017/07/06/lebanons-new-electoral-law-seeks-to-preempt-u-s-sanctions-on-hezbollah/ 4/
https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303388896143736832
https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303388896143736832
The designation also highlights how the Ministry of Finance enables Hezbollah’s criminal activity. Although of further note here, by the very nature of the designation, is the overlap between Hezbollah and Amal networks in illicit finance/money laundering. 5/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303389556406980608
Anyone familiar with these networks, especially in Africa, will recognize that the line which separates Hezbollah from Amal is blurred. They both benefit. 6/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303390495557722112
The fact that Lebanon’s treasury is itself a Hezbollah enabler underscores key points I’ve been arguing:
A- Lebanon = Hezbollah. The idea that the Lebanese “state” (lol word) is separate and distinct from Hezbollah is complete fiction. 7/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303390935162720272
A- Lebanon = Hezbollah. The idea that the Lebanese “state” (lol word) is separate and distinct from Hezbollah is complete fiction. 7/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303390935162720272
B- That this fiction serves as the basis of the bifurcated US policy toward Lebanon is the reason why this policy is a total failure.
C- Hezbollah benefits directly from multiple ministries, not just the ones it controls directly. “State institutions” is a punchline. 8/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303391484285247488
C- Hezbollah benefits directly from multiple ministries, not just the ones it controls directly. “State institutions” is a punchline. 8/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303391484285247488
An additional note: on the one hand, these sanctions widen the target to include Hezbollah allies. This, as @sentedcruz noted, is a welcome start: https://mobile.twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1303392648410075137 9/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303392060339302408
On the other hand, if these sanctions show us anything it’s that the distinction between Hezbollah and the “state” is not just a bad joke, but a damaging one, too. The French initiative in Lebanon, which is predicated on the continuity of the system, underscores the damage. 10/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303393489997135873
The French take Hezbollah’s continued leadership of the political order in Lebanon as a given, and are roping us in to support their position. David Hale already did, saying we’re totally cool with Hezbollah being in government. 11/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303394145571082240
And we’ll just pretend that we can create a fictional firewall somehow, and everything can be fine while we play house with the Lebanese “state” (lol word). That’s a bifurcated, schizophrenic policy, which will always end in failure, as it has for two decades. 12/ https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303395120524468229
Lastly, the US should not lose sight of the big picture with these sanctions and any future ones including under Glo Mag. Our job is not to micromanage and engineer Lebanese politics. Nobody cares. That’s not the level the US should function at. https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1297614527966609408?s=20 13/13 https://twitter.com/AcrossTheBay/status/1303395541255155719
