The U.S. Places Hassan Nasrallah's Son and Al-Mujahideen Brigades on the Global Terrorism List

On Tuesday, November 13, the U.S. State Department announced that Jawad Nasrallah, the son of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, has been added to the global terrorism list. The State Department also stated that the Al-Mujahideen Brigades, active in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, have been included on the global terrorism list due to their involvement in attacks against Israeli targets and their connections with Hezbollah. The State Department's statement indicated that this announcement aims to deprive Hassan Nasrallah and the Al-Mujahideen Brigades of access to their resources for planning and executing terrorist attacks. In this context, Nathan Sales, the U.S. State Department's Counterterrorism Coordinator, stated that the Iranian government allocates nearly one billion dollars annually to support terrorism. He added that it may be hard to believe, but Iran provides 700 million dollars to Hezbollah and 100 million dollars to Palestinian groups each year, which, when accounting for support to other groups, totals close to one billion dollars. Sales emphasized that it is the Iranian people who ultimately bear the cost of their government's support for terrorism. The Counterterrorism Coordinator clarified that after a five-year review by the State Department regarding Hezbollah, it was decided that the group would remain on the terrorist list. He stated, 'This means all of Hezbollah. We reject any false division between a terrorist branch or a peaceful and political branch. Hezbollah is one organization. It is a terrorist organization with all its roots and branches.' This official also mentioned that Jawad Nasrallah had previously employed individuals to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel in the West Bank. In January 2016, he attempted to activate a suicide bomber and a sniper group in the West Bank, but five Palestinians cooperating with him and this group were arrested by Israel. According to Nathan Sales, Hezbollah provides military and training assistance to the Al-Mujahideen Brigades. The report states that the Al-Mujahideen Brigades were established in 2005 and are active in Gaza and the Palestinian territories. Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980s with the aim of liberating parts of Lebanon that were then occupied by Israel and with a clear goal of fighting against Israel. The U.S. designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group due to deadly bombings in the 1980s, including the killing of hundreds of American and European soldiers in Beirut. The European Union designated Hezbollah's military wing as terrorist in the summer of 2013. In this context, the Arab League declared both the political and military wings of Hezbollah as terrorist in early spring 2016. Hezbollah, for its part, insists that it is part of Lebanon's political framework and has increased its influence in the recent elections in the Lebanese parliament.