US Sanctions Bill Aims to Curb Hezbollah’s Destabilizing Regional Influence

A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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US Sanctions Bill Aims to Curb Hezbollah’s Destabilizing Regional Influence

A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Democratic and Republican representatives have urged the European Union to include the Lebanese Hezbollah on the list of terrorist organizations.

US Rep. Ted Deutch, the chairman of the US House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, introduced a resolution, saying in a statement: “Currently, the EU only includes Hezbollah’s military wing – and not its political wing – on its list of sanctioned terrorist organizations.”

“The United States makes no distinction between its branches and includes Hezbollah in its entirety on the US Foreign Terrorist Organization list.”

“When you are dealing with a ruthless terrorist organization like Hezbollah, there is no distinction between political and militant wings,” Deutch stated.

He lauded many European countries for taking action to ban Hezbollah, as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council have also done.

“But we need the European Union to cease allowing Hezbollah’s so-called political wing to freely operate by joining us in fully targeting this terrorist group and its global criminal network,” Deutch added.

US Rep. Kathy Manning stressed the importance of the bill, saying Hezbollah was a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Middle East and around the world.

“The influence of the party and its role in dismantling Lebanon is devastating, as it enhances Iran’s destabilizing influence and threatens the entire region,” she said.



Hezbollah Orders Members to Stay Away from South Lebanon Amid Renewed Israeli Strikes

Hezbollah supporters take part in Ashura commemorations in Beirut’s southern suburbs last week (AP)
Hezbollah supporters take part in Ashura commemorations in Beirut’s southern suburbs last week (AP)
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Hezbollah Orders Members to Stay Away from South Lebanon Amid Renewed Israeli Strikes

Hezbollah supporters take part in Ashura commemorations in Beirut’s southern suburbs last week (AP)
Hezbollah supporters take part in Ashura commemorations in Beirut’s southern suburbs last week (AP)

In the wake of renewed Israeli strikes in south Lebanon, Hezbollah has reportedly instructed its members and affiliates to avoid traveling to their hometowns in the south, including areas north and south of the Litani River.

The internal directive, aimed at minimizing Israeli targeting, prohibits movement to the region even for family visits or personal reasons, according to local sources who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat.

The move comes as Israel resumed its targeted operations against Hezbollah after a week-long pause. The renewed strikes coincide with growing Lebanese calls to reactivate the ceasefire monitoring committee, following escalating tensions and violations.

On Thursday, two individuals were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in south Lebanon, despite the ceasefire agreement brokered last November. Lebanon’s Ministry of Health confirmed the fatalities.

According to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, an Israeli drone strike hit a vehicle on the Toul-Kfour highway in the Nabatieh district, killing one person and injuring two others. A second airstrike targeted a truck in the southern coastal town of Naqoura, leaving one person dead.

Israeli authorities have reiterated that they will continue to act against Hezbollah to “eliminate any threat” and prevent the group from reestablishing its military infrastructure. They have warned that strikes will continue unless Hezbollah is disarmed by the Lebanese state.

The latest attacks follow a series of five assassinations carried out last week, which Israel claimed targeted operatives involved in restoring Hezbollah’s combat and artillery capabilities in the south.

Since the November ceasefire, Israel has reportedly carried out nearly 3,600 violations, by land, sea, and air, resulting in 253 deaths and 559 injuries, according to official Lebanese data.

Ongoing Israeli operations have severely limited Hezbollah’s activity in both southern Lebanon and north of the Litani River. Local sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hezbollah issued a directive months ago prohibiting members, including fighters, from visiting southern areas, even for personal or family reasons, to avoid Israeli surveillance and targeting.