U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY PRESS RELEASES Treasury Designates Martyrs Foundation Companies and Officials as Global Terrorists 5182 February 26, 2020
US sanctions Lebanese entities that funnel funds to Hezbollah militants’ families Joyce Karam/The National/February 26/2020
US targets individuals, entities linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah Reuters/Wednesday 26/02/2020
US Treasury sanctions Hezbollah-linked Lebanese individuals, groups Lauren Holtmeier, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 26 February 2020
بالأسماء: الكيانات اللبنانيّة التي شملتها العقوبات اليوم ترجمة ليبانون ديبايت/الاربعاء 26 شباط 2020
عقوبات أميركية على أفراد وكيانات..مرتبطين بمؤسسة الشهيد سامي خليفة/المدن/27 شباط/2020
============== بالأسماء: الكيانات اللبنانيّة التي شملتها العقوبات اليوم ترجمة ليبانون ديبايت/الاربعاء 26 شباط 2020
فرضت وزارة الخارجية الأميركية اليوم الأربعاء، عقوباتٍ على “3 أشخاص في لبنان، و12 شركة مقرّها في لبنان مرتبطة بـ”مؤسسة الشهيد”، وهي جزء من شبكة دعم حزب الله بحسب OFAC”.
وإستهدفت العقوبات بشكل خاص “أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding” المملوكة والمُدارة من قبل مؤسسة الشهيد وأحد المسؤولين الرفيعين فيها وهو قاسم محمد علي بزي، كذلك فرضت عقوباتٍ على جواد نور الدين والشيخ يوسف عاصي”.
وقال وزير الخزانة الأميركي ستيفن منوشين: أنّ “حزب الله يستفيد من بيع البضائع الحيوية لصحة الشعب اللبناني وإقتصاده، مثل الأدوية والبنزين”، وتابع “تقف إدارة ترمب مع الشعب اللبناني، ونحن ملتزمون بالكشف عن مخططات حزب الله لتمويل الإرهاب ومحاسبته”.
والكيانات والأفراد الذين فُرِضت عليهم عقوبات اليوم، هم:
“أطلس القابضة – ATLAS HOLDING، التي تمتلك أو تسيطر على عشر شركات على الأقل في العديد من القطاعات في لبنان، بما في ذلك الوقود والأدوية والسياحة والملابس, وتم إدراج مؤسسة الشهيد واحد كبار مسؤوليها الشيخ يوسف عاصي ضمن مؤسسي أطلس القابضة.
قاسم محمد علي بزي، وهو يشغل منصب الرئيس التنفيذي ورئيس مجلس إدارة أطلس القابضة -“Atlas Holding” إعتبارًا من عام 2019، وهو أكبر مساهم في الشركة، بالإضافة إلى ذلك، يعمل كمسؤول في العديد من فروع أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”.
جواد نور الدين، وهو يشغل منصب المدير العام لمؤسسة الشهيد في لبنان، وبهذه الصفة، يُشرف على دفعات ماليّة لعائلات شهداء حزب الله، وقام بتنسيق هذه المدفوعات مع كبار مسؤولي حزب الله مثل هاشم صافي الدين. وكمسؤول كبير في “مؤسسة الشهيد”، يعمل عن كثب مع كبار مسؤولي حزب الله ويمثل علانية مؤسسة الشهيد إلى جانب كبار مسؤولي حزب الله بمن فيهم الأمين العام لحزب الله السيد حسن نصرالله.
والشيخ يوسف عاصي بسبب دوره مع مؤسسة الشهيد، وهو يُعدّ أيضاً أحد مؤسسي أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”.
شركة ميديك – MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DRUGS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION- MEDIC، وهي مملوكة من قبل شركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”، ويعمل قاسم محمد علي بزي كمدير عام ورئيس مجلس الإدارة والمفوض بالتوقيع.
شركة شهيد فارم – SHAHED PHARM، وهي مملوكة لشركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”، ويعد جواد نور الدين، مسؤول مؤسسة الشهيد كأحد مؤسسيها، إلى جانب أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”، وقاسم محمد علي بزي مدرج كمساهم والمفوض بالتوقيع عن الشركة.
شركة أمان للوقود – AMANA FUEL CO، وتملكها أو تسيطر عليها أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding” ، وتتحكم أطلس القابضة في غالبية الأسهم في الشركة ، وقاسم محمد علي بزي مدرج كمؤسس والمفوض بالتوقيع عن الشركة.
شركة أمانة بلس – AMANA PLUS CO، وتملكها أو تسيطر عليها أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”. ووفقًا لمعلومات تسجيل الشركات، فإن أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding” تعد مؤسس وأكبر مساهم في شركة أمان بلس، بالإضافة الى ادراج جواد نور الدين وقاسم محمد علي بزي أيضًا في قائمة مؤسسي الشركة، كما يشغل قاسم محمد علي بزي منصب المدير العام، رئيس مجلس الإدارة والمصرح له بالتوقيع.
شركة الكوثر – AL KAWTHAR، وهي مملوكة أو تسيطر عليها أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”. وتجدر الإشارة أيضًا إلى أن شركة أطلس القابضة من المساهمين الرئيسيين في الشركة.
شركة أمانة للصباغة والدهانات – AMANA SANITARY AND PAINTS COMPANY L.T.D، للأدوات الصحية والأصباغ تملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding” ويعد كل من أطلس القابضة وجواد نور الدين مؤسسين للشركة، مع تخصيص غالبية أسهم الشركة لأطلس القابضة.
شركة سيتي فارما – CITY PHARMA S.A.R.L، وتملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding” وتعد أطلس القابضة مؤسساً للشركة إلى جانب جواد نور الدين، وقاسم محمد علي بزي هو المخول بالتوقيع عن الشركة.
شركة الخدمات السياحية العالمية ش.م.ل. – GLOBAL TOURISTIC SERVICES S.A.L، وتملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding” وتأسست الشركة من قبل أطلس، وقاسم محمد علي بزي، وجواد نور الدين. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، تعد شركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding” المساهم الأكبر في الشركة، وقاسم محمد علي بزي هو المخول بالتوقيع، وجواد نور الدين وقاسم محمد علي بزي عضوان في مجلس الإدارة.
شركة ميراث – MIRATH S.A.L، ويملكها أو يسيطر عليها جواد نور الدين وهو رئيس مجلس الإدارة، والمساهم الرئيسي.
شركة سانوفيرا فارم – SANOVERA PHARM COMPANY SARL، وهي مملوكة لشركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”.
شركة كابيتال – CAPITAL S.A.L، وتملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة أطلس القابضة – “Atlas Holding”.
عقوبات أميركية على أفراد وكيانات..مرتبطين بمؤسسة الشهيد سامي خليفة/المدن/27 شباط/2020
أفادت مذكرة على الموقع الإلكتروني لوزارة الخزانة الأميركية، إن الولايات المتحدة أضافت يوم الأربعاء 26 شباط أسماء مجموعة من الأفراد اللبنانيين والكيانات اللبنانية، قالت إنها على صلة بمؤسسة “الشهيد”، إلى قائمة الإرهاب.
عقوبات جديدة
أعلنت وزارة الخزانة الأميركية عن إدراج ثلاث شخصيات لبنانية و12 كياناً على قوائم العقوبات الأميركية، بسبب ارتباطهم بمؤسسة “الشهيد” التابعة لحزب الله. وقد حدد مكتب مراقبة الأصول الأجنبية في وزارة الخزانة الأميركية “أوفاك” شركة “أطلس القابضة”، المملوكة والمُدارة من قبل مؤسسة الشهيد، وأحد المسؤولين الرفيعين فيها، وهو قاسم محمد علي بزي، وعشر شركات تابعة لأطلس ضمن قائمة العقوبات. وعملاً بالأمر التنفيذي (EO 13224)، بصيغته المعدلة، تم إدراج جواد نور الدين، المدير العام لمؤسسة “الشهيد” في لبنان، والشيخ يوسف عاصي أحد مؤسسي “أطلس القابضة”، على لائحة الإرهاب، لكونهما يعملان في مؤسسة “الشهيد”، والتي تم تصنيفها كداعمة الإرهاب في تموز 2007. كما تم إدراج شركة “ميراث”، التي يملكها أو يسيطر عليها جواد نور الدين على قائمة العقوبات. وتعليقاً على العقوبات الجديدة، قال وزير الخزانة الأميركي ستيفن منوشين: “حزب الله يستفيد من بيع البضائع الحيوية لصحة الشعب اللبناني واقتصاده، مثل الأدوية والبنزين”، وتابع “تقف إدارة ترامب مع الشعب اللبناني، ونحن ملتزمون بالكشف عن مخططات حزب الله لتمويل الإرهاب ومحاسبته”.
القطاع المصرفي
عرّض حزب الله، حسب الخزانة الأميركية، القطاع المصرفي اللبناني للخطر من خلال تنسيقه العميق مع “جمال ترست بنك”، الذي تم إدراجه على قائمة العقوبات في أب 2019. وقد سهّل مصرف “جمال ترست بنك” مئات الملايين من الدولارات من المعاملات، من خلال النظام المالي اللبناني، نيابة عن شركة “أطلس القابضة” وشركاتها التابعة. وساعد مسؤولي حزب الله في تجنب التدقيق في هذه الحسابات، من قبل السلطات المصرفية اللبنانية. وأعلنت وزارة الخارجية الأميركية حزب الله كمنظمة إرهابية أجنبية في تشرين أول 1997 وضمن “الإرهابيين العالميين المدرجين خصيصاً” SDGT عملاً بالقرار 13224 المتعلق بالإرهاب، والذي صدر في تشرين أول 2001. وكما أشير في الإجراءات السابقة التي اتخذتها وزارة الخزانة، تعمل مؤسسة “الشهيد” في لبنان كمنظمة شبه إيرانية. وهي عنصر أساسي في شبكة حزب الله العالمية لدعم الإرهاب. وتقدم خدمات مثل الدعم المالي لعائلات أعضاء حزب الله الذين قتلوا أو اعتقلوا، وكذلك لعائلات الانتحاريين من حركتيّ حماس والجهاد الإسلامي الفلسطيني.
أطلس القابضة ATLAS HOLDING
تمتلك “أطلس القابضة” أو تسيطر على عشر شركات على الأقل، في العديد من القطاعات في لبنان، بما في ذلك الوقود والأدوية والسياحة والملابس. وتم إدراج مؤسسة “الشهيد” وأحد كبار مسؤوليها الشيخ يوسف عاصي ضمن مؤسسي “أطلس القابضة”.
ومنذ أواخر عام 2017، اعتُبرت “أطلس القابضة”، من بين العديد من الكيانات التي تم تحديدها على أنها تابعة للمجلس التنفيذي لحزب الله، الذي يستفيد من شرعية كياناته وطابعه المدني البعيد عن العسكرة، لإخفاء تحويلات الأموال للاستخدام العسكري لحزب الله. وتبقى الإشارة أن التمويل المقدم من المجلس التنفيذي يذهب إلى خزائن الحزب وأنشطته العسكرية. وهذا ما أصبح معروفاً، رغم الجهود المبذولة لكي تتمكن صناديق الأعمال التي تبدو شرعية من حماية حزب الله من العقوبات.
قاسم محمد علي بزي
يشغل قاسم محمد علي بزي، منذ عام 2019، منصب الرئيس التنفيذي ورئيس مجلس إدارة شركة “أطلس القابضة”، وهو أكبر مساهم في الشركة. إضافة إلى ذلك، يعمل كمسؤول في العديد من فروع “أطلس القابضة”، بما في ذلك أمانة Amana وأمانة بلس Amana Plus وميديك Medic وشاهد فارم Shahed Pharm وسيتي فارما City Pharma والكوثرal Kawthar وشركة الخدمات السياحية العالمية Global Touristic Services.
جواد نور الدين
يشغل جواد نور الدين منصب المدير العام لمؤسسة “الشهيد” في لبنان. ويشرف على إرسال دفعات مالية لعائلات مقاتلي حزب الله الذين قضوا في المعارك. وقد قام هذا الأخير بتنسيق هذه المدفوعات مع كبار مسؤولي حزب الله، ومنهم هاشم صافي الدين.
كمسؤول كبير في مؤسسة “الشهيد” في لبنان، يعمل جواد نور الدين عن كثب مع كبار مسؤولي حزب الله، ويمثل علانية مؤسسة “الشهيد” إلى جانب كبار مسؤولي الحزب، بمن فيهم الأمين العام لحزب الله، حسن نصر الله.
الشيخ يوسف عاصي
دافع الشيخ يوسف العاصي علناً عن مؤسسة “الشهيد” في ضوء العقوبات الأميركية ضد حزب الله، خصوصاً بعد تزايد عدد قتلى الحزب في سوريا. ويُعد الشيخ يوسف عاصي أحد مؤسسي شركة “أطلس القابضة”، التي تم إدراجها اليوم على لائحة العقوبات، لكونها مملوكة أو تحت سيطرة مؤسسة “الشهيد”.
شركة ميديك
الشركة الدولية للأدوية والمعدات الطبية (ميديك) MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DRUGS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION- MEDIC مملوكة من قبل شركة “أطلس القابضة”، ويعمل قاسم محمد علي بزي فيها كمدير عام ورئيس مجلس الإدارة والمفوض بالتوقيع.
شاهد فارم SHAHED PHARM
يُعد جواد نور الدين، مسؤول مؤسسة “الشهيد” كأحد مؤسسيها، إلى جانب “أطلس القابضة”، وقاسم محمد علي بزي مدرج كمساهم والمفوض بالتوقيع عن الشركة.
شركة أمانة للوقود AMANA FUEL CO
تملكها أو تسيطر عليها “أطلس القابضة”، وتتحكم في غالبية الأسهم في الشركة، ويُعتبر قاسم محمد علي بزي كمؤسس والمفوض بالتوقيع عن الشركة.
شركة أمانة بلس AMANA PLUS CO
تملكها أو تسيطر عليها “أطلس القابضة”. ووفقاً لمعلومات تسجيل الشركات، فإن “أطلس القابضة” تُعد مؤسس وأكبر مساهم في شركة “أمانة بلس”، كما يُدرج جواد نور الدين وقاسم محمد علي بزي في قائمة مؤسسي الشركة. هذا، ويشغل قاسم محمد علي بزي منصب المدير العام، رئيس مجلس الإدارة والمصرح له بالتوقيع.
الكوثر AL KAWTHAR
مملوكة أو تسيطر عليها “أطلس القابضة”. وهي من المساهمين الرئيسيين في الشركة.
شركة أمانة للصباغة والدهانات AMANA SANITARY AND PAINTS COMPANY L.T.D.
هذه الشركة المتخصصة بالأدوات الصحية والأصباغ تملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة “أطلس القابضة”، ويعد كل من “أطلس القابضة” وجواد نور الدين مؤسسين للشركة، مع تخصيص غالبية أسهم الشركة لـ”أطلس القابضة”.
سيتي فارما ش.م.ل. CITY PHARMA S.A.R.L
تملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة “أطلس القابضة”، وتُعد “أطلس القابضة” مؤسساً للشركة إلى جانب جواد نور الدين، أما قاسم محمد علي بزي فهو المخول بالتوقيع عن الشركة.
شركة الخدمات السياحية العالمية ش.م.ل. GLOBAL TOURISTIC SERVICES S.A.L
تملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة “أطلس القابضة” وتعد أكبر المساهمين فيها. تأسست من قبل “أطلس القابضة”، وقاسم محمد علي بزي، وجواد نور الدين. ويُعتبر قاسم محمد علي بزي هو المخول بالتوقيع، كما أن جواد نور الدين وقاسم محمد علي بزي يعملان كعضوان في مجلس الإدارة.
شركة ميراث MIRATH S.A.L
يملكها أو يسيطر عليها جواد نور الدين وهو رئيس مجلس الإدارة، والمساهم الرئيسي.
شركة سانوفيرا فارم SANOVERA PHARM COMPANY SARL
تُعد شركة “سانوفيرا فارم” مملوكة لشركة “أطلس القابضة”.
شركة كابيتال CAPITAL S.A.L
هي شركة تملكها أو تسيطر عليها شركة “أطلس القابضة”.
الآثار المترتبة على العقوبات
تواصل وزارة الخزانة الأميركية إعطاء الأولوية لتعطيل النطاق الكامل للنشاط المالي غير المشروع لحزب الله، بما في ذلك شبكة الدعم المالي.
نتيجةً لإجراءات اليوم، ستُحظر جميع الممتلكات والمصالح التابعة لهؤلاء الأفراد ولهذه الكيانات في الولايات المتحدة. ويجب إبلاغ مكتب مراقبة الأصول الأجنبية بها. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، قد يتعرض الأشخاص الذين يشتركون في معاملات معينة مع الأفراد والكيانات المدرجة اليوم على لائحة الإرهاب إلى عقوبات أو قد يخضعون لإجراءات قانونية. وسيخضع الأفراد والكيانات لعقوبات ثانوية وفقًا لـلقرار EO. 13224، بصيغته المعدلة. ووفقاً لهذه السلطة، يمكن لمكتب مراقبة الأصول الأجنبية حظر أو فرض شروط صارمة على فتح أو الاحتفاظ بحساب مراسل أو حساب مستحق الدفع من قبل مؤسسة مالية أجنبية في الولايات المتحدة.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY PRESS RELEASES Treasury Designates Martyrs Foundation Companies and Officials as Global Terrorists 5182 February 26, 2020
Washington – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) three Lebanon-based officials and 12 Lebanon-based entities linked to the Martyrs Foundation, part of Hizballah’s support network. Specifically, OFAC designated Atlas Holding for being owned or controlled by the Martyrs Foundation, as well as senior Atlas official Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi, and ten Atlas-affiliated companies. Jawad Nur-al-Din and Sheikh Yusuf Aasi were also designated, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, for being leaders or officials of the Lebanon-based Martyrs Foundation, which was designated for supporting terrorism in July 2007. Mirath S.A.L., which is owned or controlled by Jawad Nur-al-Din, was also designated today.
“Hizballah profits from the sale of goods vital to the Lebanese peoples’ health and economy, such as pharmaceuticals and gasoline,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “The Trump Administration stands with the Lebanese people, and we are committed to exposing and holding accountable Hizballah’s terror-funding business schemes.”
Hizballah put the Lebanese banking sector at risk through its deep coordination with Jammal Trust Bank, which was designated as an SDGT in August 2019. Atlas Holding — a company controlled by the Martyrs Foundation and subordinate to Hizballah’s Executive Council — along with several of its subsidiaries banked freely at Jammal Trust Bank despite their open affiliation with previously designated Hizballah entities. In fact, Jammal Trust Bank facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions through the Lebanese financial system on behalf of Atlas Holding and its subsidiaries, and aided Hizballah officials in evading scrutiny on these accounts from Lebanese banking authorities.
Hizballah was designated by the Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in October 1997 and as an SDGT pursuant to E.O. 13224 in October 2001. As noted in previous Treasury actions, the Lebanon office of the Martyrs Foundation acts as an Iranian parastatal organization and is an integral element of Hizballah’s global terror support network. It provides services such as financial support to the families of killed or imprisoned Hizballah members, as well as to families of suicide bombers from HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
ATLAS HOLDING
Atlas Holding is owned or controlled by the Martyrs Foundation.
Atlas Holding owns or controls at least ten companies in numerous sectors in Lebanon, including fuel, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and clothing. According to corporate registration information, the Martyrs Foundation and its senior official Sheikh Yusuf Aasi are listed as founders of Atlas Holdings. As of late 2017, Atlas was among several entities identified as being subordinate to Hizballah’s Executive Council, which takes advantage of its entities’ legitimate and civilian appearance to conceal money transfers for Hizballah’s military use. Although the funding from these Executive Council companies went into Hizballah’s coffers and military activities, Hizballah hoped that the seemingly legitimate business funds could protect Hizballah from sanctions.
KASSEM MOHAMAD ALI BAZZI
Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi is a leader or official of Atlas Holding.
Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi serves as the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Atlas Holding as of 2019, and is the company’s largest shareholder. Additionally, according to corporate registration information, he serves as an official for several of Atlas Holdings’ subsidiaries, including Amana, Amana Plus, Medic, Shahed Pharm, City Pharma, al Kawthar, and Global Touristic Services.
JAWAD NUR-AL-DIN
Jawad Nur-al-Din is a leader and official of the Martyrs Foundation.
Jawad Nur-al-Din serves as the Director General of the Lebanon-based Martyrs Foundation. In this capacity, he oversees payments to the families of Hizballah fighters who have been killed, and has coordinated these payments with senior Hizballah officials such as SDGT Hashim Safi al-Din. As a senior official of the Lebanon-based Martyrs Foundation, he works closely with senior Hizballah officials and publicly represents the Martyrs Foundation alongside senior Hizballah officials including Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Hashim Safi al-Din was designated pursuant to E.O. 13224 in May 2017. Hassan Nasrallah was designated pursuant to E.O. 12947 in January 1995, pursuant to E.O. 13582 in September 2012, and pursuant to E.O. 13224 in 2018.
SHEIKH YUSUF AASI
Sheikh Yusuf Aasi is a leader or official of the Martyrs Foundation.
In his role with the Martyrs Foundation, Sheikh Yusuf Aasi has publicly advocated for the foundation in light of U.S. sanctions against Hizballah and the rising number of Hizballah operatives killed in Syria. Additionally, Sheikh Yusuf Aasi is one of the founders of Atlas Holdings, which is being designated today for being owned or controlled by the Martyrs Foundation.
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DRUGS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION (MEDIC)
Medic is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. According to corporate registration information, founders of Medic include both Atlas and Bazzi. Atlas is the majority shareholder for the company, and Bazzi, who holds fewer shares, serves as the Director General, Chairman, and authorized signatory for the company.
SHAHED PHARM
Shahed Pharm is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. According to corporate registration information, senior Martyrs Foundation official Jawad Nur-al-Din is listed as one of its founders, along with Atlas Holdings, and Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi is listed as a shareholder, director, and authorized signatory for the company.
AMANA FUEL CO.
Amana Fuel Co. is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. According to corporate registration information, Atlas Holdings controls the majority of shares in the company, and Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi is listed as a founder, director, and authorized signatory for the company.
AMANA PLUS CO.
Amana Plus Co. is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. According to corporate registration information, Atlas Holdings is a founder of, and the largest shareholder for, Amana Plus Co. Jawad Nur-al-Din and Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi are also listed as company founders, with Bazzi also serving as the Director General, Chairman, and authorized signatory of the company.
AL KAWTHAR
Al Kawthar is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. Also of note, corporate registration information lists Atlas Holding and Martyrs Foundation CEO Jawad Nur-al-Din as founder of Al Kawthar, and Atlas is a majority shareholder in the company.
AMANA SANITARY AND PAINTS COMPANY L.T.D.
Amana Sanitary and Paints Company L.T.D. is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. According to corporate registration information, Atlas and Jawad Nur-al-Din are both founders of the company, with the majority of the company’s stock being allocated to Atlas.
CITY PHARMA S.A.R.L.
City Pharma S.A.R.L. is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. According to corporate registration information, Atlas is a founder of the company along with Jawad Nur-al-Din, and Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi was the authorized signatory for the company.
GLOBAL TOURISTIC SERVICES S.A.L.
Global Touristic Services S.A.L. is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding. According to corporate registration information, the company was founded by Atlas, Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi, and Jawad Nur-al-Din. Additionally, Atlas is the majority shareholder in the company, Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi is the authorized signatory, and Jawad Nur-al-Din and Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi are members of the board of directors.
MIRATH S.A.L.
Mirath is owned or controlled by Jawad Nur-al-Din. According to corporate registration information, Jawad Nur-al-Din is the chairman of the board, majority shareholder, as well as a founder of, and authorized signatory for, Mirath S.A.L.
SANOVERA PHARM COMPANY SARL
Sanovera Pharm Company SARL is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding.
CAPITAL S.A.L.
Capital S.A.L. is owned or controlled by Atlas Holding.
SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS
The Treasury Department continues to prioritize disrupting the full range of Hizballah’s illicit financial activity, including its financial support network.
As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of these targets that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of blocked or designated persons. In addition, persons that engage in certain transactions with the individuals and entities designated today may themselves be exposed to sanctions or subject to an enforcement action.
Furthermore, the individuals and entities designated today are subject to secondary sanctions pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended. Pursuant to this authority, OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution.
US sanctions Lebanese entities that funnel funds to Hezbollah militants’ families Joyce Karam/The National/February 26/2020
Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker said US sanctions aim to cut Hezbollah’s tentacles in the Lebanese economy
The US Treasury Department ramped up pressure on the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah on Wednesday, sanctioning 15 Lebanese entities and individuals linked to the group’s Martyrs Foundation.
The sanctions were announced simultaneously by the Treasury and the State Department, targeting twelve Lebanon-based entities affiliated with the Iran-based Martyrs Foundation, which is accused of funnelling money to the families of the group’s suicide bombers.
They are:
Atlas Holding
Medical Equipment and Drugs International Corporation (MEDIC)
Shahed Pharm
Amana Fuel Co.
Amana Plus
Al Kawthar
Amana Sanitary and Paints Company LTD,
City Pharma SARL.
Global Touristic Services SAL.
Sanovera Pharm Company SARL
Mirath
Capital SAL
Most of the entities are seen as arms of Atlas Holding which “controls at least ten companies in numerous sectors in Lebanon, including fuel, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and clothing,” the Treasury said.
The US also blacklisted three Lebanese individuals affiliated with these companies that it said support the Martyrs Foundation. They are:
Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi, identified as a leader or official of Atlas Holding;
Jawad Nur Al Din, identified as a leader or official of the Martyrs Foundation
Sheikh Yusuf Aasi, identified as a leader or official of the Martyrs Foundation
In the statement, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said “Hezbollah profits from the sale of goods vital to the Lebanese peoples’ health and economy, such as pharmaceuticals and gasoline.”
He added that the Trump administration stands with the Lebanese people, and is “committed to exposing and holding accountable” Hezbollah’s funding scheme.
According to the US Treasury, Atlas Holding “banked freely at [the now liquidated] Jammal Trust Bank (JTB), despite their open affiliation with previously designated Hezbollah entities”.
It said the bank facilitated hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions through the Lebanese financial system on behalf of Atlas Holding and its subsidiaries, and aided Hezbollah officials in evading scrutiny on these accounts from Lebanese banking authorities.
Sources familiar with the decision said the new sanctions bundle was expected after targeting JTB last August, but was delayed due to the anti-government protests in Lebanon.
Speaking to The National, Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker defined the goal of these sanctions as cutting Hezbollah’s tentacles in the Lebanese economy and ultimately shutting down these entities.
“You are going to see developments on the ground especially that little less than two per cent of Lebanese gas stations [which are those targeted] should disappear,” Mr Schenker said in a phone call on Wednesday. He explained that these sanctions will freeze the accounts of the entities and cripple their ability to make transactions.
The US government, he added, will work with the “Lebanese Central Bank who is responsive” to reach this end goal. The Jamal Trust Bank, which was designated by the US last August, shut down in September.
Mr Schenker said the timing of the designations is related to a process of collecting evidence, intelligence information on forensics, and financial information that “would withstand scrutiny within the US government.”
But with Lebanon forming a government that is closer to Hezbollah than any previous cabinet since 2005, Mr Schenker set the same expectations for its members. “The expectations are that the government of Lebanon will cooperate… we are withholding judgement on their performance, despite their budget having a tenuous relation with reality.”
The senior US official did not rule out more anti-corruption sanctions targeting a broad set of political figures in Lebanon under the Global Magnitsky Act. “It is something important for us and something we are working through right now,” he said.
Asked about the negative impact of these sanctions on Lebanon’s dwindling economy, Mr Schenker pushed back, arguing that expunging Hezbollah from the Lebanese economy would increase confidence in those sectors.
Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she studies Hezbollah, saw significance in targeting the pharmaceutical sector. “Iran has been flooding Lebanon with Iranian medicine, which is thriving due to the shortage of approved medicine in the midst of the economic crisis,” Ms Ghaddar told The National. “Iranian products are thriving, they’re cheap and available.”
On targeting gas stations, she referenced gas smuggling through Syria. “Smuggling operations via Syrian routes have been bringing Hezbollah loads of money and thus putting more emphasis on these outlets.”
US targets individuals, entities linked to Lebanon’s Hezbollah Reuters/Wednesday 26/02/2020
The Treasury Department blacklisted Atlas Holding for being owned or controlled by the Martyrs Foundation, which it said funnels financial support to militant groups, including Hezbollah.
WASHINGTON -The United States on Wednesday added a host of Lebanese individuals and entities it said were linked to the Martyrs Foundation to its designated “global terrorists” lists, according to a notice on the US Treasury Department’s website.
US officials have previously targeted the Lebanon-based Martyrs Foundation, an organisation the department has said channels financial support to several militant groups, including Hezbollah.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had blacklisted Atlas Holding for being owned or controlled by the Martyrs Foundation, as well as senior Atlas official Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi, and 10 Atlas-affiliated companies.
Jawad Nur-al-Din and Sheikh Yusuf Aasi were also designated for being leaders or officials of the Martyrs Foundation, which was designated for supporting terrorism in July 2007. Mirath S.A.L., which is owned or controlled by Jawad Nur-al-Din, was also designated.
As a result, all property of those targeted that fall under US jurisdiction must be blocked and reported to OFAC, whose rules generally bar all US persons from dealing with them. Further, those blacklisted are subject to secondary sanctions under which OFAC can penalise foreign financial institutions which deal with them.
US Treasury sanctions Hezbollah-linked Lebanese individuals, groups Lauren Holtmeier, Al Arabiya English/Wednesday, 26 February 2020
The United States has listed three people and 12 entities, including pharmaceutical and medical companies, in Lebanon who are linked with the Hezbollah Martyrs Foundation on its terror sanctions lists, according to Treasury Department officials.
The US Treasury department named Sheikh Yusuf Aasi, Kassem Mohamad Bazzi and Jawad Nur-al-Din as the three individuals.
The new sanctions reinforce the hardline the US is taking on Hezbollah in Lebanon. And with another case of coronavirus confirmed in Lebanon today, the targeting of some companies, like Atlas Holding, that owns or controls companies across numerous sectors, including pharmeceuticals, could have adverse affects on the country’s ability to cope with a further outbreak of the virus.
Previous US policies have prioritized the stability of Lebanon, but the new rules of engagement take a hardline on Iranian-backed Hezbollah as part of the American “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran.
“The Trump Administration and its allies in congress from both parties are determined to continue their policies of maximum pressures on the Iran regime and their allies in the region to obtain a major shift in behavior,” Dr. Walid Phares, a former foreign policy adviser to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2016, told Al Arabiya English.
“The adding of sanctions against Hezbollah allies is a message to politicians and leaders in Lebanon to cut their ties with the group. But it is also a message to the Lebanese civil society and particularly the Lebanese protesters,” Phares added.
The last round of US sanctions to be slapped on Lebanese Hezbollah were in August 2019 on Jammal Trust Bank (JTB) for facilitating the financial activities of Hezbollah.
“The second [bank we sanctioned] was JTB after Lebanon was already downgraded,” said a senior US State Department official to Al Arabiya, referring to Lebanon’s credit rankings falling throughout the first half of 2019.
“We had worked with that bank for more than a year to get them to do the right thing, and they didn’t take it seriously,” the official said. “They brought it upon themselves.”
Sanctions on JTB were announced August 29, and by September 19, the bank had announced it would liquidate current accounts and close shop in coordination with the Lebanese central bank. JTB denied US allegations it funded Hezbollah.
Ryan Bohl, a Middle East analyst at the Texas-based foreign policy analysis firm Stratfor, told Al Arabiya English the latest round of sanctions are a high-risk gamble for the US.
“It could cause damage to Lebanon’s economy depending on the scope and scale of sanctions and, the US could endure blowback from all of Lebanon’s political factions,” Bohl told Al Arabiya English. “If the [Prime Minister Hassan] Diab government weakens or collapses, and no pro-US government emerges out of that, US sanctions become seen as the reason for Lebanon’s economic problems,” he added.
Alternatively, most Lebanese know the country’s economic problems are the product of a corrupt ruling class, Bohl said.
“The US has an opportunity here to exploit that sentiment, to layer on sanctions that make it more difficult for Hezbollah to do business, carry out operations in Syria, meet their payroll, and all the other benefits that make them such a powerful social force in Lebanon,” Bohl said. “It’s an opportunity for Americans, but it’s a narrow line they’re walking.”
Following months of protests and ongoing financial and economic crises, the new government headed by Diab was formed mid-January after former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri stepped down in late October.
Analyst Bohl said the new sanctions on Lebanese companies that deal in medical supplies and pharmeceuticals could complicate things for both Hezbollah and Diab as Lebanon grapples with containing the outbreak of the coronavirus.
“The US is clearly trying to crack the welfare system Hezbollah has set up that keeps it popular,” Bohl said. “But with essential medicines in short supply, this is a rather strident move against a humanitarian angle. With coronavirus likely to appear in Lebanon in greater numbers, the US is gambling the Lebanese are going to blame Hezbollah and Diab first.”
Some medicinces and medical supplies in the country are already in short supply due to the ongoing economic crisis.
“This will make the cornovirus response in Lebanon more complicated as well. But again the US thinks the blame will fall on Hezbollah,” he added.
The 12 entities that were added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specialy Designated Nationals list are: Al Kawthar, Amana Fuel Co., Amana Plus, Amana Sanitary and Paints Company, Atlas Holding, Capital, City Pharma, Global Touristic Services, Medical Equipment and Drugs International Corporation, Mirath, Sanovera Pharm Company, and Shahed Pharm.
History of sanctions
Years prior, in 2011, the first Lebanese bank to be targeted by US sanctions was Lebanese Canadian Bank Sal as a financial institution of primary money laundering concern for “the bank’s role in facilitating the money laundering activities of an international narcotics trafficking and money laundering network.” The bank shut its doors shortly after.
In February 2018, the US Treasury targeted business operations of Hezbollah and designated six individuals and seven entities across Lebanon, Iraq, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Liberia.
In July 2019, The Trump administration imposed sanctions on three senior Hezbollah officials in Lebanon, the first set to directly target members of Lebanon’s Parliament. Members of Parliament Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’d and senior Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.
Hezbollah hurting
When the US withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in 2018, sanctions were re-imposed on Iran, and the US warned other countries not to do business with Tehran. The US government views Hezbollah’s military and political wings as a singular entity and the imposition of sanctions was meant as a stark warning to Lebanese Hezbollah, and the region, about the consequences for working with Iran.
Hezbollah reportedly has been hit hard by US sanctions on Iran. In spring 2019, Hezbollah members reported receiving reduced salaries considering their funding from Iran, currently suffering its own economic hardships, diminished significantly.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged difficulties created by American sanctions in March last year.
David Daoud, an analyst for the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit NGO that works to combat extremist groups, told Al Arabiya English that while Hezbollah may have been hit by US sanctions, the group has five annual charity drives, and their revenue is derived from legitimate businesses in Lebanon and abroad, as well as through illicit means domestically and outside Lebanon.
The US understanding of how drastically Hezbollah had been impacted by sanctions on Iran may be exaggerated, Daoud said.
