Two Senior Members of Hezbollah Lebanon and Five Russians on US 'Terrorism' List

The United States Treasury Department has included the names of the 'Foreign Relations Officer' and 'Military Branch Commander' of Hezbollah Lebanon in its latest sanctions list against terrorist activities. Both individuals have close ties to Iran, and one of them was born in Iran. Five Russian citizens have also been added to the new list, one of whom is a senior official under Vladimir Putin. The names of the two Hezbollah members are Ali Damoush and Mustafa Mughniyeh, who have been sanctioned in line with the 'fight against terrorism.' Ali Damoush, known as Sheikh Ali Damoush, is recognized as the 'Foreign Relations Officer' of Hezbollah Lebanon. He is a cleric who frequently travels to Iran and spoke at a ceremony in Tehran last May following the death of Mustafa Badreddine. Mustafa Badreddine, the commander of Hezbollah's military branch, was killed in an explosion at a military building near Damascus Airport on May 24. He was the brother-in-law and successor of Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in an explosion in Damascus in winter 2008. Mughniyeh's son, Mustafa, was introduced as the 'Military Branch Commander' shortly after his uncle's death. Mustafa Mughniyeh, approximately 30 years old, is another individual recently added to the sanctions list. The US Treasury's announcement states that he was born in Tehran. Previously, the Mashregh news agency published a childhood photo of Mustafa Mughniyeh showing him with his mother and father, claiming it was registered in Karaj in June 1987. Hezbollah Lebanon, one of the most important Iranian-backed militia and political groups in West Asia, is on the US sanctions list. In 2014, a law was presented to Congress known as the 'Law to Combat the International Economic Activities of Hezbollah Lebanon,' aimed at sanctioning financial mechanisms associated with this group. Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of this group, stated in a speech last July that Iran is facing the threat of new sanctions, saying, 'Hezbollah's budget, its income, its expenses, everything that is consumed, its missiles and rockets are all received from Iran.' Reuters reported on January 9 that it had seen a 'classified report' sent by the UN Secretary-General to the Security Council, expressing concern about the potential violation of arms sanctions by Iran, including the supply of weapons to 'Hezbollah Lebanon.' The new US Treasury sanctions list also includes the names of five Russian citizens for 'countering terrorist activities'; Alexander Bastrykin, a former senior official in the federal prosecutor's office, Stanislav Gordievsky and Gennady Plaksin from government positions, Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Kovtun, from senior security positions. Alexander Bastrykin, the most significant Russian name on the new list, is close to Vladimir Putin. He has led the 'Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation' since 2011, one of Russia's most important law enforcement agencies. Bastrykin is directly accountable to Putin for the operations of this organization.