The United States Sanctions Key Hezbollah Figures in South America and Lebanon

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, in coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, has sanctioned key operatives and financial facilitators of Hezbollah in South America and Lebanon. OFAC announced that Amer Mohammed Akil Rada, one of the sanctioned individuals, in addition to his role as a senior member of Hezbollah, is one of the operatives involved in the terrorist attack on the Israel-Argentina Mutual Association in Argentina in 1994, which left 85 dead. Amer Mohammed and his associates manage a commercial company for Hezbollah, which includes exporting coal to Lebanon. The action by the U.S. Treasury Department encompasses seven entities and a key individual in this network. According to OFAC's statement, this network provides the necessary financial credibility for Hezbollah's terrorist activities and strengthens the presence and malicious activities of this terrorist group in Latin America. The statement adds that Hezbollah has established a wide global infrastructure since its inception, which includes business activities and facilitating the movement of the group's operatives. On the other hand, the Israeli Defense Minister has accused the Islamic Republic of Iran of establishing an airport in southern Lebanon with the intention of attacking Israel. According to a non-Israeli source familiar with the location, the airport could be used for deploying Iranian military drones. This source emphasized that Hezbollah has made significant investments in drone technology. Israel has arrested four individuals on charges of carrying Iranian-made explosives.