TITLE: U.S. Department of the Treasury Designates Hizballah Financial Institutions and Senior Officials
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On June 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced joint designations targeting Hizballah's financial infrastructure through the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC). The designations encompassed five entities and 16 individuals, including major Hizballah institutions Al-Qard Al-Hassan (AQAH) and Bayt al-Mal, along with their senior leadership. All targets announced were previously designated by the United States; this action marks coordinated sanctions by TFTC member states to disrupt Hizballah's access to the international financial system.
AQAH operates as a non-governmental organization (NGO) under a Lebanese Ministry of Interior license but functions as an illicit financial services provider, moving funds through shell accounts and facilitators. Bayt al-Mal serves as Hizballah's unofficial treasury, holding and investing assets while operating under direct supervision of the Hizballah Secretary General. Key designated individuals include Ibrahim Ali Daher, chief of Hizballah's Central Finance Unit; Adel Mohamad Mansour, executive director of AQAH; and Ahmad Mohamed Yazbeck, AQAH's financial director. Five AQAH officials—Abbas Hassan Gharib, Mustafa Habib Harb, Ezzat Youssef Akar, Hasan Chehadeh Othman, and Yazbeck—maintained joint bank accounts in Lebanese banks that facilitated transfers exceeding $500 million over a decade despite existing sanctions. Additional designated entities include Al-Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies; Tashilat SARL; and Auditors for Accounting and Auditing.
The TFTC conducts joint sanctions actions, exchanges actionable intelligence on terrorist financing networks, and builds member capacity to counter terrorist threats. By restricting Hizballah's funding access, member states aim to protect the international financial system's integrity, support the Lebanese people, and counter terror networks threatening regional stability and global trade. This marks the third TFTC designation action in the current administration and the ninth since the center's creation in May 2017.