New Bill to Increase Sanctions on Hezbollah in the U.S. House of Representatives

On Thursday, July 20, members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill aimed at increasing sanctions on Hezbollah and pressuring countries that support the group, particularly Iran. According to Reuters, the goal of this bill, which is intended to complement existing sanctions on the Shiite group, is to further restrict Hezbollah's ability to obtain financial assistance and recruit members, as well as to exert pressure on countries, including Iran, that support it. Ed Royce, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that the new sanctions, if approved, would 'severely limit Hezbollah's financial network' and 'deal a blow to the supporters of this group, most importantly Iran.' Both Democratic and Republican members of the House accuse Hezbollah of resorting to violence in the Syrian civil war and stockpiling missiles along the Israeli border. For about six years since the onset of the Syrian civil war, Hezbollah has fought alongside the military forces of the Islamic Republic and the Syrian army to help Bashar al-Assad defeat his opponents. Meanwhile, some Israeli military experts have recently expressed concern that the delivery of missiles like Qiam and Zulfiqar from Iran to Hezbollah could be detrimental to Israel in future military crises between Hezbollah and Israel. In this context, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, reported earlier this month on Hezbollah's missile readiness to strike Israel. He stated, 'Hezbollah forces have become a powerful force to confront Israel; according to the leader of Hezbollah, today Hezbollah will not compromise with Israel, and its missiles are always ready to be fired at Israel.' A few days after the remarks of Khamenei's advisor, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that his government is 'carefully monitoring' Iran's actions in Syria and efforts to send weapons to Hezbollah. The new bill introduced in the House is also expected to pressure banks that have dealings with Hezbollah. If passed, any individual or entity found to support Hezbollah would be banned from entering the United States. Another provision of the bill, if approved, is that the U.S. President must report to Congress on the financial dealings of Iranian institutions with Hezbollah and impose sanctions on the group for criminal activities. The new bill was introduced just two days after the U.S. Treasury Department placed 18 individuals and entities on its sanctions list for supporting the ballistic missile activities of the Islamic Republic. Reuters interprets these sanctions and the new bill as a sign of 'the eagerness of the U.S. Congress and the Trump administration to reduce Iran's influence and that of its allies in the Middle East.' Two members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senators Marco Rubio and Jeanne Shaheen, have also introduced a version of this new bill in the Senate. However, as reported by Reuters, it is still unclear when this bill will be put to a vote in the House.