LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN

April 21/16

Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani

http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.april21.16.htm

News Bulletin Achieves Since 2006

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Bible Quotations For Today

The Miracle of the Five Barely Loaves & The Two Fish that fed 5000 Persons
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 06/01-15:"After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming towards him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?’He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.’ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ‘There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?’ Jesus said, ‘Make the people sit down.’ Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, ‘Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.’So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, ‘This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.’ When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!"
First Letter to the Thessalonians 02/13-20:"We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers. For you, brothers and sisters, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you suffered the same things from your own compatriots as they did from the Jews, who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out; they displease God and oppose everyone by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they have constantly been filling up the measure of their sins; but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last. As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you in person, not in heart we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. For we wanted to come to you certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again but Satan blocked our way.For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? Yes, you are our glory and joy!"

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on April 21/16

Lebanese businessman, Nizar Zakka, languishing in Iranian prison/Myra Abdallah/Now Lebanon/April 20/16
Germany: Government-funded refugee program is run by Hizballah/Benjamin Weinthal/Jerusalem Post/April 20/16
Opinion: Sami Gemayel – A Lebanese Political Phenomenon/Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Alawsat/April 20/16
UNESCO Director distances herself from Temple Mount decision/Yoav Karni /Ynetnews/04.20.16/
US should go after Iran, not Saudi Arabia/Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/April 20/16
No S-300s or cash windfall for Iran/DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis April 19, 2016
Dialogue as a means of tolerance/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/April 20/16
Veiling Women: Islamists' Most Powerful Weapon/Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/April 20/16
Turkey: Erdogan's Thin-Skinned Government/Robbie Travers/Gatestone Institute/April 20/16
USA Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 Related Sanctions Regulations; Counter Terrorism Designations Updates; Syria Designations Updates/US Department Of The Treasury/April 20/16

Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on April 21/16
Germany: Government-funded refugee program is run by Hizballah

Berri Gives Political Powers til Week's End to Respond to Proposal on 'Legislation of Necessity'

Sources: Jumblat’s Campaign against Mashnouq Result of Electoral Fears

No Imminent Solution for State Security

Lebanese Army Detains Companion of Munir al-Maqdah

Australian Mother, TV Crew to Be Released on Bail in Child Custody Case

Mashnouq Postpones Terbol Municipal Elections
Lebanon Ranks 98th in World Press Freedom Index
Analysis: Islamic State Fighters from 70 Countries, Including Lebanon
Aoun welcomes French lawmakers
Lebanese Citizen killed in Arsal following personal dispute with relative
MP Antoine Saad : Saying Jumblatt does not want elections to happen inaccurate
MP, Salim Salhab: we will take part in dialogue session
MP, Ahmad Fatfat: No participation in legislative session if electoral law not included
Lebanon's Prosecutor General Judge Hammoud tasks Criminal Investigations department to examine illegal network's dossier
Lebanese Politicians gather in solidarity with kidnapped Orthodox bishops
Lebanese businessman, Nizar Zakka, languishing in Iranian prison
Germany: Government-funded refugee program is run by Hizballah
Opinion: Sami Gemayel – A Lebanese Political Phenomenon
 

Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on April 21/16

The Journey of a Small Family – From the War in Syria to the Pope’s Plane
In historic ruling, US court awards $2b to families of Iran-backed terror victims
Obama lands in Riyadh for final Saudi visit
Gulf, US agree joint patrols to block Iran arms
US and Iran report some progress on Tehran’s sanctions complaint
Iran’s army denies direct involvement in Syria, speaks of ‘volunteers’
Iraqi PM orders halt on unauthorized protests, Sadr calls for more demos
US defense chief presses Gulf nations to do more in Iraq
ISIS overruns part of Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor city
Evacuations begin from blockaded Syrian towns
Israel says it is giving Jordan, Egypt intel help against ISIS
Israeli forces destroy home of Palestinian attacker
EU stresses Golan position after Israel remarks
Israel holds West Bank settler group for attacks on Palestinians
Isaac Herzog, Zionist Union chairman and opposition leader: We are considered to be Arab lovers
Israel helps Arab neighbors in fight against ISIS
UNESCO Director distances herself from Temple Mount decision
Turkey denies entry to senior journalist from Russia's Sputnik

Links From Jihad Watch Site for April 21/16
Paris university asks women to participate in Hijab Day “if you think women should have right to dress as they wish”

Obama meets with Saudi king after new evidence emerges of Saudi role in 9/11.
Survey: 90% of 13-year-olds at Italian school would convert to Islam if the Islamic State came to their home.
Iran Vows ‘Serious Reaction’ If U.S. Violates Nuke Deal.
Obama’s ‘Countering Violent Extremism’ Program Collapses Into Absurdity.
UK unveils replica of Palmyra arch destroyed by the Islamic State as “defiance to barbarians” they’re enabling at home.
Videos: Robert Spencer on the “Islamophobia” scam — now in German and Danish.
Iran demands new bribes — and Obama rushes to deliver.
Passenger who heard remarks by Muslim who was removed from plane speaks Arabic, says his comments were threatening.
CBC won’t name sex assault suspect because he’s a Muslim migrant.

Berri Gives Political Powers til Week's End to Respond to Proposal on 'Legislation of Necessity'
Naharnet/April 20/16/Speaker Nabih Berri presided on Wednesday over a national dialogue session that focused on efforts to revive the work of parliament and the “legislation of necessity.”He proposed before the gatherers a solution to end the deadlock and he will wait until the end of the week before taking steps linked to the “legislation of necessity,” MP Ali Fayyad told reporters from Ain el-Tineh.The speaker will hold within this week a series of contacts with various officials on this proposal. It calls for the parliament bureau to place the agenda of the parliamentary legislative session.The agenda will include the parliamentary electoral draft-law. “Should the political parties agree to Berri's suggestion, he will call for a legislative session before the end of May,” added Fayyad. Wednesday's national dialogue was attended by the main political powers, with Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun being represented by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil. “We did not agree on anything and the whole debate at the dialogue centers on equality and fair representation among the Lebanese,” he told reporters. The next round of talks has been scheduled for May 18. Berri will continue to exert pressure on the national dialogue participants until they heed his call for an electoral session, As Safir daily reported on Wednesday. But the newspaper said that he needs a "miracle" to receive the approval of several parties who are not willing to participate in the session unless their demands are met. Among the demands are placing a new electoral draft-law at the top of the agenda. But Berri says there are other pending issues that need to be approved first. Parliament convenes twice a year in two ordinary sessions -- the first starts mid-march until the end of May and the second from the middle of October through the end of December. But the absence of a president since the end of President Michel Suleiman’s term in May 2014 has paralyzed the parliament and led to wrangling among cabinet ministers. The differences between the different parties also worsened in the past month when they started exchanging accusations of corruption following several scandals that rocked the country.

Sources: Jumblat’s Campaign against Mashnouq Result of Electoral Fears
Naharnet/April 20/16/Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat is at loggerheads with Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, a member of al-Mustaqbal Movement, to pressure him into postponing the municipal elections, informed sources said Wednesday. Jumblat has been accusing al-Mashnouq of corruption as a result of his anger for having two Druze officers, one of them an adviser, at the Interior Ministry who are not loyal to the PSP chief, the sources told al-Liwaa newspaper. The same sources said that Jumblat is pressuring the minister into postponing the municipal polls that are due next month because the PSP and al-Mustaqbal have failed in reaching an understanding on fighting the elections together in the area of Iqlim al-Kharroub. Jumblat also fears that he would lose his grip on Christian towns in Aley and Shouf districts as a result of the rapprochement between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, al-Liwaa quoted a minister as saying. On Tuesday, Jumblat and Health Minister Wael Abou Faour on one side and al-Mashnouq on the other exchanged accusations over several issues, including the leadership of Judicial Police and corruption at the Internal Security Forces. However, a member of Jumblat’s Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Antoine Saad denied in remarks to Voice of Lebanon (100.5) radio that the PSP chief does not want the municipal elections to be held. The dispute between Jumblat and al-Mashnouq does not harm the relations between the lawmaker and the head of al-Mustaqbal Movement, ex-PM Saad Hariri, said Saad.

No Imminent Solution for State Security
Naharnet/April 20/16/Christian cabinet ministers have given their consent to provide the controversial State Security agency with some of the funding it needs to allow it to function properly despite pessimism expressed by Economy Minister Alain Hakim on a possible solution. An Nahar daily said on Wednesday that the Christian ministers are in favor of giving some appropriations to the security apparatus, which has been even lacking papers, photocopy machines and maintenance for its office work to function properly. The cabinet tasked on Monday Prime Minister Tammam Salam with resolving the matter after the bickering parties failed to reach a solution on the appropriation of funds and on resolving the power-sharing dispute between State Security’s director-general, a Catholic, and his deputy, who is a Shiite.The Christian ministers claim that the State Security is being deliberately marginalized. But according to An Nahar, some parties are not heeding the demands of the Christian ministers and instead are in favor of appeasing Speaker Nabih Berri who wants to replace Director-General Maj. Gen. George Qaraa and his deputy Brig. Gen. Mohammed al-Tufaili. Salam also seems to be procrastinating on resolving the issue pending the retirement of al-Tufaili next month. But Hakim, one of the ministers strongly pushing for a solution, expressed his resentment on the way officials are dealing with the matter. The Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party, Free Patriotic Movement and Minister Michel Pharaon will pursue the issue until their demands are met, vowed Hakim in remarks published in al-Joumhouria. He said the political disputes, which have erupted lately among different factions, are the result of “the failure to elect a new president and the shielding of the ticking bomb of Syrian refugees.” The bomb will one day explode and cause huge economic, trade, security and social problems, added Hakim.

Lebanese Army Detains Companion of Munir al-Maqdah
Naharnet/April 20/16/The army arrested on Wednesday the companion of Munir al-Maqdah, head of the joint Palestinian security force in Lebanon. His companion, a Palestinian identified as Mohammed B., was detained in the Taamir region at the entrance of the refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh in the southern city of Sidon. The reason for the arrest was not disclosed. He has been handed over to the army intelligence Zogheib barracks in Sidon.

Australian Mother, TV Crew to Be Released on Bail in Child Custody Case
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 20/16/An Australian woman and four journalists accused of kidnapping her children from their Lebanese father in Beirut were released on bail Wednesday after he dropped the charges against them. Sally Faulkner and the Australian television crew were charged last week for reportedly abducting Faulkner's two young children from their father, Ali al-Amin, in the Lebanese capital. "I have agreed to release the Australian crew and the mother on bail after the children's father and grandmother dropped the personal charges against all five of them," Judge Rami Abdallah told a packed courtroom. Faulkner and the crew from Channel Nine's "60 Minutes" program were seen being released late Wednesday afternoon. Faulkner and reporter Tara Brown looked relieved as they walked out of Lebanon's women-only jail northeast of the capital into a nearby van. Her producer, cameraman and sound recordist were released from the courthouse in Beirut. According to Channel Nine's chief correspondent Tom Steinfort in Beirut, the crew "is in a van headed for Beirut airport". The crew and Faulkner still face charges by Lebanon's public prosecutor, but they can be sentenced in absentia. Speaking to journalists after the hearing adjourned, Amin said Faulkner would be able to see the children, but said that he had full custody. "I told her, you're their mother and you'll stay their mother. This is their country just like Australia is their country," said Amin. He said he had not told his children that their mother was in jail, but that she was traveling. Asked whether he was angry with the Channel Nine crew, Amin said: "They're people, just like everyone. They were probably just doing their job, they probably didn't expect it to go that way." His lawyer Hussein Berjawi said Faulkner's bail had been set at one million Lebanese pounds (about $660). Amin has not dropped his charges against two Britons and two Lebanese who allegedly helped in the abduction, Berjawi told AFP. Faulkner's lawyer Ghassan Mughabghab told journalists his client had struck a deal with Amin granting him full custody of the children in line with Lebanese law.
His client "regrets" what she did, Mughabghab said. Faulkner has said that Amin, from whom she is divorced, took them for a holiday to Beirut and then allegedly refused to return them to Australia. She had been reportedly working with a child recovery agency to bring back the children, and the TV crew was recording the operation.A grainy video of the April 6 incident released by Al-Jadeed television showed the children walking with an elderly person said to be their grandmother. Several figures jump out of a nearby car and snatch and carry the children into the vehicle, which then speeds off. The television crew was arrested the following day and Faulkner was later found with the two children at a home in Beirut. Both children, who Australian media said are a six-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy, are now with their father in a southern Beirut suburb.

Mashnouq Postpones Terbol Municipal Elections
Naharnet/April 20/16/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq postponed the municipal elections in the Zahle town of Terbol until the completion of the administrative procedures, the state-run National News Agency reported on Wednesday. “The administrative procedures linked to the civil registry of residents of the village of Shehabieh-Faour have not been completed yet,” an interior ministry statement said. “Under law No 175 issued on August 2011 it was decided to establish the village of Shehabieh-Faour in the district of Zahle. On October 26, 2013 a decision to open a special civil registry for the said town in the registry of Zahle has been made,” it added. However, until this moment, the administrative procedures to transfer the registry of persons residing in Terbol to the registry of Shehabieh-Faour are not complete, which makes it unfeasible to hold the elections on the scheduled date, according to the statement.
In March, Mashnouq issued a decree calling electoral bodies to take part in the municipal elections. The municipal elections in Beirut and Bekaa-al-Hermal districts will take place on May 8, while the elections in Mount Lebanon will be held on May 15. Elections in south Lebanon and Nabatieh were set for May 22 and north Lebanon and Akkar for May 29.

Lebanon Ranks 98th in World Press Freedom Index
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 20/16/Lebanon ranked 98th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index that was released by advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday. World press freedom deteriorated in 2015, said RSF after it released the index which ranks the countries on indicators such as media independence, self-censorship, the rule of law, transparency and abuses. This year's index saw a decline in all parts of the world, Christophe Deloire, secretary general of the Paris-based group said. Many of the world's leaders have developed "a paranoia" about journalism and are clamping down on the media, while coverage in privately-owned outlets is increasingly shaped by corporate interests, said the watchdog. Lebanon scored 31.95, a 0.14 point decline from the year before. Among the lowest ranked countries were Syria, at 177th place out of 180, just below China (176th) but above North Korea (179th) and last placed Eritrea.The index is based on a questionnaire filled out by experts around the world as well as on quantitative data on abuses and acts of violence perpetrated against reporters.

Analysis: Islamic State Fighters from 70 Countries, Including Lebanon
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/April 20/16/Analysis of a windfall of data from inside Islamic State shows fighters of more than 70 nationalities, including Lebanese, joined the ruthless jihadist group, researchers said after examining thousands of records. The treasure trove came from an IS defector who handed over some 11,000 personnel files to US television network NBC, although more than half were found to be duplicates. NBC then passed 4,600 of the documents to the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), which is based at West Point but independent from the US military academy. The documents are one of several large-scale leaks from within IS this year. Thousands of apparent IS registration documents were leaked in January to a Syrian opposition news website and in March the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and German broadcasters said they had obtained similar records. German security services also had access to that material. The CTC said that by comparing the documents it received from NBC against similar IS personnel records maintained by the US Defense Department, it was able to corroborate "approximately 98 percent" of them. The forms, completed by recruits in Arabic and often including notes from the assessors, refer to around 30 percent of the estimated 15,000 new recruits who entered Syria during 2013 and 2014. The analysis provided not only a composite picture of the fighters but also an insight into how IS is "attempting to vet new members, manage talent effectively... and deal with a diverse pool of recruits," said the report, which is available on the CTC website. The recruits ranged in age from 12 to nearly 70, although the average age was 26 or 27. Only 400 were under 18 upon entering the self-declared IS "caliphate". The leading nationality with 579 new fighters, was Saudi, followed by Tunisian (559), Moroccan (240), Turkish (212), Egyptian (151) and Russian (141). There were 49 from France, 38 from Germany, 30 from Lebanon, 26 from Britain, 11 from Australia and seven from Canada, but none from the United States. Thirty percent said they were married, while 61 percent were single, with another eight percent unknown.
Generally well-educated
Some 1,371 said they had finished high school while 1,028 said they had attended university. "The group seems overall to be generally well-educated, especially when compared to United Nations data on the average years of schooling in the countries in the dataset," the report said. The forms showed that IS intake officers interviewed the new recruits to assess their suitability for a range of roles in its apparatus. "While the Islamic State needs some suicide bombers, it also needs personnel to fill roles like conventional soldiers, sharia officials, police and security or administrative positions," the CTC report said. Thus one personnel officer wrote of a new recruit: "Important: he has experience in chemistry."But when a 24-year-old Turkish entrant said his professional experience was as a drug dealer, the remark was: "May God forgive him and us!"Nearly 10 percent reported having waged jihad previously, including a Frenchman who said he fought in Mali, while only 12 percent said they were prepared to carry out suicide attacks. The cache also included 431 "exit forms" for departing jihadists, with reasons for leaving including the need for medical treatment, usually in neighboring Turkey, or for family reasons. Other remarks included simply "lied" for two of the fighters; "If he comes back again, he'll be imprisoned"; "could not practice patience"; "does not want the military life and jihad"; and "confusion with matters". More sinister were exit forms noting: "Go back to Libya and organize the way for the State"; "A task" and "Omar al-Shishani charged him with a job in Turkey". Shishani, or "Omar the Chechen", who was effectively IS's defense minister, was killed last month. One line on the entry form is left blank, initially at least: Date and place of death.

Aoun welcomes French lawmakers
Wed 20 Apr 2016/NNA - Head of the Change and Reform bloc, MP Michel Aoun, welcomed at his Rabieh residence on Wednesday, a delegation of French lawmakers. "This visit is symbolic for what General Aoun represents in terms of Christians in the Orient; he defended them," Free Patriotic Movement's Coordinator in France, Antoine Chedid, told reporters following the meeting."Western media is transmitting a untrue image of what is happening in the region," he indicated. "The visiting lawmakers will convey what they have carried from the Orient to the French public opinion; they will wield pressure on the level France's foreign policy, as to fighting terrorism and preserving the presence of Christians in the Orient," he concluded.

Lebanese Citizen killed in Arsal following personal dispute with relative
Wed 20 Apr 2016/NNA - Lebanese citizen, Khaled Houjeiry, nicknamed Tannous, met his fate on Wednesday following a personal dispute with a relative in Arsal, NNA field reporter said. In further details, Lebanese citizen, Hussein Hujeiry, shot his cousin Khaled dead after the latter told Arsal's security unit on Hussein and caused him to spend time in prison over proven links to a group of gunmen in Arsal outskirts.

MP Antoine Saad : Saying Jumblatt does not want elections to happen inaccurate
Wed 20 Apr 2016/NNA - Member of the Democratic Gathering bloc, MP Antoine Saad said in an interview with the Voice of Lebanon 100.3 - 100.5 radio that those who claim PSP leader Walid Jumblatt does not want the elections to happen are wrongful. "Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and head of the Future Movement Saad Hariri are connected by years of struggle over common issues," assuring that disagreement between the two will not spoil that shared history. Saad stressed that the "Progressive Party is demanding to hold accountable all those behind the internet scandal and the prostitution networks issue." "We are waiting for the announcement of names and the punishment of those involved in corruption cases," he said. "We do not accuse a political party, but we wonder who covers these corrupt persons and protects them," he concluded.

MP, Salim Salhab: we will take part in dialogue session
Wed 20 Apr 2016/NNA - "Change and Reform" bloc member, Deputy Salim Salhab stressed on Wednesday that his bloc "will attend the dialogue session today (Wednesday)". He told the "Voice of Lebanon" radio that their position is clear regarding the legislation provided it includes the reestablishment of authority through a new electoral law. On the other hand, the lawmaker said "We don't believe that the corruption files will be dealt with seriously although we hope that the investigations would reach the needed results". Regarding the municipal elections, he underscored that preparations are completed for that, adding "postponing this deadline is not easy and requires a legislative session unless a sudden security incident takes place".

MP, Ahmad Fatfat: No participation in legislative session if electoral law not included
Wed 20 Apr 2016/NNA - "Future" bloc member, Deputy Ahmad Fatfat confirmed on Wednesday that his bloc "will not attend the legislative session if the electoral law is not included on the agenda". On the other hand, he ruled out that relations would be broken between PSP leader Deputy Walid Jumblatt and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on the background of the dispute with Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnouk.

Lebanon's Prosecutor General Judge Hammoud tasks Criminal Investigations department to examine illegal network's dossier
Wed 20 Apr 2016/NNA - Prosecutor General Judge Samir Hammoud tasked on Wednesday head of the ISF Criminal Investigations Department to increase investigations in the dossier of the illegal networks. Hammoud also requested to be informed of the inspection's results.

Lebanese Politicians gather in solidarity with kidnapped Orthodox bishops
Wed 20 Apr 2016/NNA - The Orthodox Gathering and the Syriac League marked on Wednesday the third commemoration of the kidnapping of Orthodox bishops Boulos Yazegi and Yuhanna Ibrahim in Syria, at Sin-el-Gil municipality. MP Yassine Jaber and Information Minister Ramzi Jreij, respectively representing Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Tammam Salam, joined the wide panel of political, spiritual, diplomatic, and security figures, to voice solidarity with the abducted clerics. In a word delivered on the occasion, Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc member Ali Fayyad said that the bishops' abduction targeted Christians and Muslims alike and insulted Islam dangerously, in reference to takfiri deeds.

Lebanese businessman, Nizar Zakka, languishing in Iranian prison
Myra Abdallah/Now Lebanon/April 20/16
The family of Lebanese citizen Nizar Zakka has lost touch with their relative, who was arrested in Iran and accused of being an American “spy”
Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese businessman who is a resident of the United States, was arbitrarily arrested in Iran in September 2015. According to friends who set up a website calling for his release, Zakka – who is a top information and communications technology (ICT) expert in the Middle East and the secretary general and founder of the Arab ICT Organization - received an official invitation to attend the second International Conference and Exhibition on Women in Sustainable Development on September 11, which was organized by the Iranian Department of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade in Tehran. The invitation was signed by Shahindokht Molaverdi, vice president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who has purview in the section of Women and Family Affairs in the cabinet of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
On September 18, as Zakka was departing for the airport after the conference to return back to Lebanon, he was “kidnapped” by Iranian security agents. Iranian state television claimed that Zakka, the Washington-based Lebanese citizen, was actually an “American spy now in the custody of [Iranian] authorities.” Initially after his arrest, his family was allowed to contact him, and his wife managed to meet with him several times. However, his family has recently lost touch with him. The last contact between Zakka and his family was following the voice message he released on April 2, 2016, 21 days into a hunger strike and after 197 days of detention, confirming that he was not yet allowed to meet his lawyer or anyone from the Lebanese consulate in Tehran. Zakka also called on Lebanese authorities to save him from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
“For the past two weeks, we have been unable to contact him,” said Ghinwa Zakka, his wife. “I used to go to Tehran to visit him. Two weeks ago, I was informed that all visits [to Nizar] were canceled. He even stopped calling us, and to date, we know nothing about him.” His wife, who sounded hesitant about giving NOW information when contacted by phone, confirmed that the family is really concerned about Zakka’s fate, especially since the last time they managed to call him, he was still on hunger strike.
The detention of Zakka has not only raised concerns among his family members and friends. Lebanese and international human rights organizations also voiced concerns about Zakka’s case and reported that the detention was a human rights abuse, since Zakka has thus far been denied fair legal representation. In March 2016, Human Rights Watch reported that Zakka’s lawyer was unable to visit his client detained in Ward 2-A of Evin Prison under the supervision of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and that the exact charges that he faces remain unclear. Local Lebanese human rights organizations who have worked closely with Zakka’s family on the detention case also told NOW that they are unaware of Zakka’s current whereabouts. “Some talk has been circulated about Zakka’s release, when and how he will be released, but these rumors are not confirmed,” said Georges Ghali, Programs Manager at Lebanese human rights organization ALEF. “One of our major concerns is that we do not know why [Zakka] is being detained and the period of his detention. Also, he does not have any legal protection. In my opinion, the Lebanese government should follow up with Nizar’s family on his whereabouts, conditions and progress of his legal file, and exhaust their full efforts to protect any Lebanese citizen at harm in a foreign country. This remains an obligation under the Vienna Convention on Consulate Affairs to insure proper legal representation and proper legal protection for Lebanese citizens.”
Two weeks ago, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement that detailed the ministry’s efforts to follow up on the Zakka case. According to the statement, these efforts resulted in Zakka’s wife being granted permission to meet with him and with Iranian authorities, and speak to Zakka regularly by telephone. However, the ministry was not aware of any developments in Zakka’s case after the phone calls and visits between Zakka and his family were discontinued. “The last updates we have on this case are the details we published in the official statement on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website two weeks ago,” the ministry’s press officer Nana Zakka told NOW. “We did not receive any information following this.”
A source close to Zakka’s family, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told NOW that the detention might have happened after a meeting that Nizar Zakka had in Tehran, which caused him to change his and his staff’s return tickets to Beirut to an earlier flight. Ghinwa Zakka, who refused to comment on any attempt to get Hezbollah involved in the case, considering the party’s tight relationship with Iran, told NOW that almost every time she went to see her husband, Iranian authorities promised her that he would be released soon, and that he was not charged of any legal or security crime.
“We attempted to contact many authorities who might be able to do something about my husband’s case. Unfortunately, all these attempts have failed so far, despite the great help from the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Lebanese Consul in Tehran, whose requests to meet with Nizar are still being denied,” she said.

Germany: Government-funded refugee program is run by Hizballah
“Berlin government allegedly supports Hezbollah activists through refugee project,”
Benjamin Weinthal/Jerusalem Post/, April 20, 2016:
NEW YORK CITY: Senior employees of a Berlin-based theater project designed to assist refugees—which is funded by the Berlin government—are activists for the EU-designated terrorist organization Hezbollah, it has been alleged on Tuesday.
Nadia Grassman, the artistic director of the theater project Refugee Club Impulse (RCI) and her sister Maryam, a pedagogical director at RCI, were key organizers in the annual pro-Hezbollah and pro-Iranian regime al-Quds Day rally, according to a Tuesday report in the Berliner Zeitung daily.
The paper reported that at the al-Quds Day rally in 2015 “anti-Semitic slogans were chanted and the abolition of Israel was called for.”The Berlin-based office of the American Jewish Committee alleged that the Grassman sisters support their father Jürgen Grassman, who completed the registration process for the al-Quds Day protest in Berlin. Video and photographs showed Nadia on the loudspeaker truck at the al-Qud Day rally while Maryam distributed flyers, collected donations, and provided posters, reported the Berliner Zeitung. Multiple photographs from the event also revealed Maryam sporting earrings with the Hezbollah logo. It is unclear if the donations received by Maryam were used to fund the terrorist activities of the Lebanese-based Shi’ite organization in Syria and against Israel. The RCI is slated to receive 100,000 Euros from the Berlin government for refugee work. Public taxpayer funds have been furnished to the RCI for a number of years.
Nadia told Andreas Kopietz, the Berliner Zeitung journalist, “I don’t play an active role at the al-Quds demonstration.”She said her work with refugees is “to hear the many diverse voices and to give those voices impulses so they that they themselves can reflect. Social projects are political but we are not partisan.”
Jürgen Grassmann told the paper that the “co-organizers of the [al-Quds Day) demonstration are not my daughters. But they support their father.”An interior spokesman for Berlin’s Green Party and a member of the Berlin city Senate, Benedikt Lux, said there “is a danger that the project [RCI] funds will be used for anti-Semitic forces.”According to a Jerusalem Post review of the 2014 Berlin intelligence report, the most recent document covering Islamism in Berlin, found that there are 250 active Hezbollah members in the capital. Across Germany, there are a total of 950 Hezbollah members. The number of Hezbollah supporters is believed to be significantly higher in the Federal Republic than the data listed in intelligence reports.
In 2014, Germany shut down the Lebanon Orphan Children Project (Waisenkinderprojekt Libanon e.V.) The group claimed to be a humanitarian organization but was closed for funding terrorism. Lebanon Orphan Children Project provided funds to the al-Shahid (“The Martyr”) Association in Lebanon. Al-Shahid was “disguised as a humanitarian organization” and “promotes violence and terrorism in the Middle East using donations collected in Germany and elsewhere,” according to a 2009 European Foundation for Democracy report by German security expert Alexander Ritzmann . The EU along with Germany proscribed Hezbollah’s military wing to be a terrorist entity in 2013. Hezbollah members blew up an Israeli tour bus in Bulgaria in 2012, which killed five Israelis, their Bulgarian bus driver, and injured over 30 people. Germany permits Hezbollah’s so-called political wing to operate.
The late Christian Democratic Union deputy Philipp Missfelder told the Post in 2012: “It is long overdue to place Hezbollah on the EU’s list of terror organizations.” Missfelder’s call to outlaw Hezbollah’s entire organization was ignored by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration.
The US, Canada, and the Netherlands classify Hezbollah as a monolithic terrorist entity. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said at AIPAC’s policy conference in March that Hezbollah’s entire structure should be banned in Europe.International al-Quds Day – initiated by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder, in 1979 – is an annual global event calling to destroy the Jewish state. Photographs of anti-Israel activists at the al-Quds Day rallies in 2014 and 2015 in Berlin showed boycott Israel signs. The al-Quds Day movement in Germany is part of the Boycott, Divestment Sanctions (BDS) movement. Israel’s ambassador to Germany blasted the 2015 al-Quds Day march in the capital city, saying “It is a disgrace that in Germany a march full of hate, agitation and anti-Semitism can take place,” the diplomat said. After the Israeli embassy complained about Commerzbank providing an account to the al-Quds Day organization, the bank terminated its al-Quds day account in September….

Opinion: Sami Gemayel – A Lebanese Political Phenomenon
Eyad Abu Shakra/Asharq Alawsat/April 20/16
The Gemayel family, which produced several prominent Lebanese politicians, never really enjoyed nationwide support. The reason being that Sheikh Pierre Gemayel, the family’s ‘patriarch’ founded a political party with candid sectarian overtones in 1936. Indeed, throughout Sheikh Pierre’s long leadership of the said party, called ‘The Lebanese Phalanges’, its ideological and political identities became ever more pronounced. Although like most successful parties it has been able to develop an ideological ‘cliché’ that was relatively free from static sectarian boundaries and more open to interacting with the ‘others’. This ‘cliché’ took the shape of ‘Lebanese’ nationalism against those speaking of ‘Syrian’ or ‘Arab’ nationalisms. ‘The Lebanese Phalanges’, which developed from a youth and sports movement into the most powerful and highly organized Christian political party in Lebanon thanks to Sheikh Pierre Gemayel, had other co-founders some of whom later left it. These include Charles Helou (President of Lebanon from 1964 to 1970) and leading journalist and intellectual Georges Naccache. Furthermore, Sheikh Pierre’s two sons Bechir and Amin were successively elected presidents of Lebanon. Later, the founder’s grandson and namesake Pierre Amin Gemayel entered the Lebanese Parliament and became a cabinet minister before his assassination in 2006 at the relatively young age of 34.
Today, the political dynasty is represented in parliament by the two surviving grandsons: Sami Amin Gemayel and Nadim Bechir Gemayel, with the first assuming the party’s leadership too.
During Pierre ‘the Grandson’s’ short period at the forefront of politics, his younger brother Sami was preoccupied in a youth organization with candid slogans and ideas that many Lebanese at the time thought controversial and marginal. In reality, those slogans and ideas were closer to being voices of protest than proper blueprint for a comprehensive political agenda that deserves to be taken seriously, in a divided multi-confession society that became even more divided, obsessed, extremist and exclusionist as a result of a 15 year civil-regional war. Pierre ‘the Grandson’ managed to “re-establish” and reorganise the ‘Phalanges’ during his father’s (ex-president Amin) exile in France, and succeeded – according to many party members and loyalists – to return it to its position as the biggest organized Christian political force in Lebanon. At this juncture it is important to mention that the party had been weakened by political internal dissent and the exit of several leading figures, while other figures became openly associated with the so-called “Syrio-Lebanese Security apparatus”. The party had suffered too from the emergence of new organizations which were once part of or close to it, like ‘The Lebanese Forces’, and the extremist “Christian” outbidding of General Michel Aoun claiming to be more “Christian” than all, including the Maronite Patriarch himself, to the extent of refusing the ‘Taif Accords’ accepted by the Patriarchate!
Thus, the assassination of Pierre Amin Gemayel during the wave of assassinations targeting the leaders of the Lebanese popular uprising against the hegemony of the Damascus – Tehran axis, was a very well-thought out and meticulously calculated crime. What the murderers intended was to undermine a young and highly promising Christian leadership that was also capable of crossing religious and sectarian barriers, more so, as it neither participated directly in the war like ‘The Lebanese Phalanges’, nor is an avowed enemy to other Lebanese sects like Michel Aoun. For a while, the murderers appeared to have won. The ‘Phalanges’ were shaken and confused, partly because few expected the younger brother Sami to be a worthy successor. However, Sami Amin Gemayel was quick to surprise the sceptics and prove them wrong. He firmly took over the party leadership, and soon enough emerged a serious player on the national arena. Some might say it is the ‘political instinct’ within Lebanon’s many traditional political dynasties that is instrumental in the ‘rapid maturing process’.
Today, in spite of bouts of vigour which are a hallmark of youth, Sami enjoys a real presence that has benefitted from his self-confidence, clear vision, candid honesty, as well as the disappointment of many who had expected more from Christian alternatives.Sami who once, before 2006, shocked the Lebanese when he called for a ‘federal’ Lebanon when he was still on the fringes of the political arena, has not really changed his deeply-held convictions on that matter, although he is now more mature and diplomatic in arguing his views. Moreover, after the debacles of Iraq and Syria, the term ‘federalism’ does not sound like a “partitioning” nightmare nor an act of treason given Iran’s expansionist schemes and the threat of the dark-ages ISIS. In addition, the ‘Taif Accords’ specifically called for “Broad Administrative de-Centralization” as they noted the impossibility of continuing with a fully centralized system of government after a devastating civil war before re-assuring the fearful vanquished and containing the ambitions of the jubilant victors!
It is obvious today that the gamble of Dr Samir Geagea, the leader of ‘The Lebanese Forces’, of securing a political breakthrough through a “Christian reconciliation” with Aoun has lost its glitter, if not its credibility. This “Christian reconciliation” has provided Iran’s strategy of creating a political vacuum that facilitates its hegemony – through Hezbollah – an extended Christian cover, instead of convincing Aoun to stop using Hezbollah to gain personal ascendancy. Furthermore, instead of putting Iran and its henchmen in a fix, this “reconciliation” has strained the relations within the anti-Tehran March 14th Alliance and shaken trust among its members. Thus, Sami Amin Gemayel has now emerged as the frankest and most realistic Christian voice; firstly, in diagnosing Lebanon’s problem as it approaches two years without an elected president; and secondly, in telling the truth about Hezbollah, its organization, role, philosophy and loyalty; and thirdly, in dealing with fears relating to the future of Lebanon as regional taboos are broken, identities redefined, borders re-drawn, demographic uprooting and change is in full swing. Given all the regional developments and their repercussions on the Lebanese domestic scene, many Lebanese are now fully aware that Hezbollah’s arena is far larger than Lebanon; its political and security ‘decisions’ are taken outside Lebanon, and its loyalties, commitments, connections and conception have nothing to do with Lebanon, its constitution and institutions, but they feel they do not need to spill the beans and speak frankly. Only Sami Gemayel is making his position loud and clear, although he knows more than most the high cost of truth in a country that can no more tolerate a comedian’s joke here or a critical cartoon there. Only Sami Gemayel, it seems, is now aware of the absurdity of continuing with a ‘dialogue of the deaf’!

The Journey of a Small Family – From the War in Syria to the Pope’s Plane
Asharq Al-Awsat/April 20/16/Hassan and Noor escaped from the suburbs of Damascus in December of last year with their son who is two years old. After a journey that lasted several months, the family moved to Rome at the invitation of Pope Francis. However, they yearn for the country which they left behind.
Noor, 30, with her baby at her side, tells Agence France-Presse “We did not support the Syrian regime, nor did we support the Islamists. We left Syria because my husband was called to join the army.”Noor wanted to go to France with her husband but they were forced to cross Syria first to arrive in Turkey. They were held for a few days in the city of Raqqa by ISIS until a smuggler helped them to flee. Noor, who remembers the Syrian and Russian air raids with horror said “If you are caught between Turkey and Greece, there is no problem because you will spend a few hours in jail. However, if you are arrested in Syria, you may be murdered.” Noor’s husband Hassan, 31, narrates how he was duped at a Turkish port by a smuggler who wanted the family to climb aboard a rubber boat in bad weather conditions. The boat had 62 people on it but was designed to carry 40 people. However, the family managed to make the journey by sea to find themselves stuck in the middle of administrative procedures in Lesbos. The family arrived before the agreement to deport all illegal immigrants to Turkey was implemented and therefore they were not deported. However, the Greek island has become like a prison for them.
Hassan says that representatives of the Saint Egidio Catholic Association talked about the possibility of moving the family to Italy but did not mention the Pope or his plane. Noor says that “Even now I do not believe what happened. It is like a beautiful dream.” The Pope came to greet them on the plane and Noor adds “He stroked the head of our son Riadh”. Noor answers the questions of the journalist in a whisper in the courtyard of the school that is affiliated to the charity which received them in the neighborhood of Trastevere, Rome, where they are staying until their apartment in the Vatican is ready. Hassan emphasises the “kindness” of the inhabitants of Rome and pointed out that they want for nothing. However, he still thinks of his relatives who are still in Syria and adds “you can find a new place to live but you can’t find a new family”.

In historic ruling, US court awards $2b to families of Iran-backed terror victims
Jerusalem Post/April 20/16/Despite improved US-Iran relations, the US Supreme Court on Wednesday gave a historic $2 billion victory to the families of Americans killed in attacks blamed on Iran. At its January hearing on the issue, the US Supreme Court seemed to be seriously entertaining allowing around $2 billion in frozen of Iranian Bank Markazi's funds to go to the families, but the 6-2 vote in favor made that possibility, which risks major tensions in bilateral relations between the two governments who had just concluded a deal on Iran's nuclear program, a reality. The court's decision was a rejection of an appeal brought by Bank Markazi, Iran's central bank, contesting a 2014 lower-court ruling that stated the money should be handed over to plaintiffs representing hundreds of Americans killed or injured in the 1983 bombing of a US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, the 1996 Khobar Towers truck bombing in Saudi Arabia, suicide bombings in Israel and other attacks.
The money would go toward satisfying a $2.65 billion judgment against Iran that the families won in US federal court in 2007 in a case filed in 2001. The money is held in New York in a trust account at Citibank, part of Citigroup Inc, but was not fully discovered until 2008-2010.
At issue before the justices was whether Congress violated the separation of powers principle enshrined in the US Constitution by passing the law that specified the funds held in the trust account go toward paying off the judgment. One issue which portended well for the plaintiffs was that the Obama administration and Congress, despite the Iran deal, were united in favor of the victims receiving the frozen funds. The US Supreme Court generally defers to the executive on cases delving into foreign policy, especially if Congress stands with the executive. In January, now deceased Justice Antonin Scalia said Congress regularly enacts laws that are narrow in focus and affect ongoing cases. It is legal so long as it does not undo a court case that has already been decided, Scalia said. His missing vote and the fact that he has not been replaced were why the vote of 6-2 did not include 9 justices as is the rule. In January, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg noted that the case before the court on Wednesday actually concerned judgments in 19 different lawsuits that were consolidated.
Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer suggested the case should be viewed from a foreign policy perspective. Generally, in foreign policy disputes, courts give more deference to the executive branch. In the Iran case, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders support the plaintiffs.
In that vein, Justice Anthony Kennedy, who often casts the deciding vote in close cases, wondered if Congress has more leeway when the US has "very delicate relations" with the country in question, as it does with Iran. On the flip side, Chief Justice John Roberts, seizing on an argument made by Bank Markazi, appeared troubled by the US Congress improperly dictating the outcome of legal disputes by passing a 2012 law specifically relating to this case to help the families obtain the money. During a one-hour oral argument in a case that comes before the top US court at a delicate time in US-Iranian relations, Roberts used the analogy of a "strongman" leader of a foreign country calling the judiciary to tell judges how to rule.
"I'm not sure I see what the difference is here," Roberts said.
Roberts’ harsh attack on the Congressional law and the position of the victims surprised some since in June he was adamant in the famous Zivitofsky case - about whether US citizens born in Israel could write Jerusalem on their passports at place of birth – that Congress could intervene in heated foreign policy issues. There he voted in favor of Congressional power in foreign affairs despite the case having major political and diplomatic implications and despite being in the minority on the court, which struck down that Congressional law 6-3. There had been uncertainty about where other justices would ultimately vote.
Justice Kennedy had even grilled lawyers on both sides, at one point criticizing the argument made by the Obama administration's lawyer, Edwin Kneedler, in support of the families. But ultimately all of the justices besides Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayor voted to reject the appeal, paving the way for collecting on the massive judgment against Iran. The plaintiffs accused Iran of providing material support to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shi'ite Islamist political and military group responsible for the 1983 truck bomb attack at the Marine compound in Beirut that killed 241 US servicemen. They are also seeking compensation on behalf those killed or injured in other attacks they linked to Iran, including the 1996 Khobar Towers truck bombing in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 US service members. The lead plaintiff in the case is Deborah Peterson, whose brother, Marine Lance Corporal James Knipple, was killed in the Beirut bombing. Along with a large number of law firms, Israeli NGO Shurat Hadin is involved in the case representing the Rubin family whose family member was injured in a 1997 double suicide bombing on Ben Yehuda Street in Jerusalem.
Shurat Hadin also has a range of other judgments against Iran which are not part of the case which have led it to seek an injunction in a New York court against the Iran deal unfreezing a range of foreign funds until their other clients, families of victims of other terror attacks, are compensated.
Reuters contributed to this report.

Obama lands in Riyadh for final Saudi visit
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 20 April 2016/US President Barack Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in what is expected to be his final visit to the kingdom before he leaves office this year. Dressed in a grey suit, Obama emerged at 1:14 pm local time and descended the steps of Air Force One at the Saudi capital's King Khalid International Airport. He met with Saudi King Salman, before a Gulf Cooperation Council summit of leaders from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar and Oman on Thursday. The president is set to consult Washington’s Gulf allies on the crises in Yemen and Syria in particular. Prior to Obama's arrival, US defense chief Ashton Carter met with GCC defense ministers. Find out more with our special coverage of Obama’s Saudi visit: Looking back at Obama’s ties with Saudi Arabia during his two terms Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia: A chance for some Syria home truths? Obama’s presidency sees shift in US-Saudi trade ties Opinion: Why Obama is visiting a different Saudi Arabia this time. The president is expected to push Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter and biggest buyer of US-made arms, and other Gulf allies for greater cooperation and military backing in the fight against ISIS, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria. While the two powers have warm ties that stretch back for seven decades, Saudi Arabia has been frustrated with Obama on a number of issues, including the US-led Iranian nuclear deal. Last year, the US and five other world powers negotiated a deal Iran to end its economic and diplomatic isolation in return for curbs of its nuclear program. Since March last year, Saudi has led an Arab coalition battling Iran-backed Houthi militias and forces loyal to the deposed former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who control the capital and much of the country’s north.
The Arab coalition is seeking to restore the internationally-recognized government of Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi to power. A fragile UN-backed truce between warring parties is currently holding. The US has provided logistical support.
Unspoken hurdle
Both the US and Saudi have backed moderate opposition groups in Syria, where a devastating five-year-conflict shows little signs of stopping. Recently, Saudi Arabia has established a 34-state Islamic military alliance to fight terrorism in Syria, among other countries, and expressed its willingness to the US to send Saudi ground troops to the country. On the eve of Obama’s visit, a US official said that Washington wishes greater special forces and naval cooperation with Gulf states to counter Iran’s “destabilizing activities” in the region. Saudi is keen to curtail the activities of both the Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah and the Houthis, which it sees as Iranian proxy groups. A messy, unspoken hurdle for the two allies to trudge past is Obama’s recent comments to The Atlantic magazine, in which he said Saudi Arabia and its nemesis Iran need to “share the neighborhood” rather than expect the United States to use its military power to settle scores on behalf of its Gulf allies. Then, in a rare open letter to Obama, a prominent Saudi prince explained his view of the Obama administration’s commitment to the kingdom. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, who once headed the kingdom’s intelligence agency, wrote in response to The Atlantic interview that the president had given King Salman assurances in Washington last September on the need to counter Iran’s “destabilizing activities,” but “now, you throw us a curveball.”He rejected Obama’s characterization of Saudis as “free riders” before asking Obama if he had “pivoted to Iran so much” that he had equated Saudi Arabia’s long-standing friendship with the U.S. to Iran’s leadership. After concluding his Saudi visit, Obama will then travel to Britain and Germany. At Erga’s palace, the following US delegation members attended the meeting with King Salman alongside President Obama:
1- Susan Rice, US National Security Advisor
2- Ashton Carter, US Secretary of Defense
3- Joseph Westphal, US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
4- Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism
5- Benjamin Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speech-writing
6- Josh Earnest, White House Press secretary
7- John Brennan, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
8- Robert Malley, Senior Advisor to the President for Counter-ISIS & White House Coordinator for Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Region
9- Jeff Prescott, Senior Director for Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Gulf States
10- Sean Misko, Director for Gulf States
(With AFP and AP)

Gulf, US agree joint patrols to block Iran arms
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the United States have agreed to carry out joint patrols to stop any Iranian arms shipments reaching Yemen, the bloc's secretary general, Abdullatif al-Zayani, said on Wednesday. Zayani was speaking at a news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter after a meeting between Carter and his counterparts from the GCC, which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Iran denies accusations by Gulf states that it is smuggling weapons to Yemen, where GCC countries are involved in a military campaign against the Tehran-allied Houthi movement. Carter urged Gulf states to do more to battle ISIS and reaffirmed the US’s commitment to Gulf security.  WATCH: GCC toughens sentences terrorists to confront Iran interference. Speaking following a meeting of Gulf defense ministers, Carter said the US will continue efforts to confront Iranian violations in the region. The Gulf defense ministers met ahead of a GCC summit with US President Barack Obama on Thursday. Obama will arrive on Wednesday in Riyadh for meetings with King Salman and high-level Saudi officials. Both sides are expected to consult on the crises in Yemen and Syria. GCC delegations arrive in Riyadh. (With Reuters)

US and Iran report some progress on Tehran’s sanctions complaint
The Associated Press, United Nations Wednesday, 20 April 2016/US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reported some progress Tuesday on Iranian complaints that it’s not getting the sanctions relief it deserves under last year’s landmark nuclear deal. After meeting for more than 2 1/2 hours behind closed doors, the ministers emerged saying they agreed to meet again Friday on the sidelines of a high-level UN ceremony to sign the climate change agreement. At issue is implementation of the nuclear deal, which was supposed to give Iran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for curbing its nuclear program. Iran says it is locked out of the international financial system and that the US isn’t fulfilling its obligations under the agreement. The White House, Treasury and the State Department have all said the US has done what is required, but US officials say the Obama administration is considering easing or formally clarifying financial restrictions that prevent US dollars from being used in transactions that enable business with Iran. The officials have ruled out granting Iran access to the US financial system or direct access to the dollar, but they have left the door open to other steps to encourage trade that is now legal under the nuclear deal. Kerry told reporters that he and Zarif are working to make sure the nuclear agreement “is implemented in exactly the way that it is meant to be, and that all the parties ... get the benefits that they are supposed to get out of the agreement.”
“We worked on a number of key things today. We made some progress on it,” Kerry said. “We agreed to meet on Friday ... to sort of solidify what we talked about today.”Zarif said they focused on how to implement the deal “to make sure that we will draw the benefits that Iran is entitled to.”
Both Kerry and Zarif will be at UN headquarters on Friday for a ceremony attended by more than 130 world leaders and ministers who will be signing the historic climate change agreement reached in Paris in December. In a speech Monday night, Kerry defended the nuclear agreement, in which Iran curbed its atomic program in exchange for sanctions relief, to the pro-Israel, pro-peace advocacy group J Street that supports the deal. But his comments may have put a price tag on Iran’s anger over sanctions relief. “Despite the skeptics’ most dire predictions, we are in a place that some people thought was unimaginable and others unacceptable,” Kerry said. Kerry said some presidential candidates said the amount of money Iran would get under the deal was $155 billion, which was a mistake, and others thought it would be about $100 billion. “We calculated it to be about $55 billion, when you really take a hard look at the economy and what is happening,” Kerry said. “Guess what, folks? You know how much they have received to date as I stand here tonight? About $3 billion. So what we said to people was true.”

Iran’s army denies direct involvement in Syria, speaks of ‘volunteers’
Reuters, Dubai Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Iran’s army chief said on Wednesday the forces it had deployed in Syria in the first such operation abroad since the 1979 revolution were volunteers working under Revolutionary Guards supervision, and the regular army was not directly involved.
The Islamic Republic announced this month that it had sent commandos from the army’s Brigade 65 to Syria as advisers, suggesting it was using its regular army as well as forces from the elite Revolutionary Guards to help President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in the country’s civil war.
Iran is Assad’s main regional ally and has provided military and economic support for his conflict with rebel groups and ISIS militants.
Iran sending more special forces to Syria
“Some volunteers have been sent to Syria, under the supervision of the related organization, and among them there might be some of the Brigade 65 forces,” Armed Forces Chief Ataollah Salehi was quoted by the Tasnim news agency as saying. “The army has no responsibility in the military advice given to Syria,” Salehi added. Tasnim reported on April 11, shortly after the announcement of the Brigade 65’s deployment, that four Iranian combatants had been killed in Syria. Iran has two armed forces - a regular army serving as a national defence force, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that was created after the revolution to protect the Islamic Republic against both internal and external adversaries. Major General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Guards’ foreign operations, went to Moscow in July last year to help Russia plan its military intervention in Syria and forge an Iranian-Russian alliance to support Assad.
Soleimani was in Moscow again last week to further cooperation on Syria, security sources said. Several said Soleimani also wanted to talk about how Russia and Iran could help Damascus take back full control of the city of Aleppo.Iranian personnel sent to help prop up the Syrian army have at times sustained serious losses and Soleimani has been reported to be spending time in Syria to help coordinate operations.

Iraqi PM orders halt on unauthorized protests, Sadr calls for more demos
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi ordered a halt on unauthorized protests and said that that violators would be arrested, Al Arabiya News Channel’s correspondent reported on Wednesday. Abadi, who emphasized that the authorities will continue their tasks of enforcing security, also told them to pursue anyone who trespasses on either public and private properties. The prime minister made the order after an urgent security meeting with military and security leaders on Wednesday. “The meeting discussed the protests being held in front of state institutions, which lead to obstructing work there. It also discussed the general security situation in the country,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement. “(We) confirm the (citizens’) right to peaceful protests according to the legal framework, and (we confirm) the government’s commitment to its duties in maintaining security and stability and preventing any unlicensed protests,” it added. Watch: Iraqi Shiites accuse Tehran of fueling sectarian conflicts- Poll . According to the statement, protests will only be allowed in the capital Baghdad’s Tahrir Square. “The government commits to providing the required security to protestors,” the statement added. Angry protestors have recently obstructed ministries’ work as they demanded ministers to submit their resignations. Meanwhile, Iraq’s powerful Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday called for renewed protests after the nation’s politicians missed a deadline he gave to vote on a cabinet of technocrats proposed by Abadi to tackle corruption. In a statement received by email, Sadr called for “continuing peaceful protests under the same intensity and even more in order to pressure the politicians and the lovers of corruption.”“Nobody has the right to stop it otherwise the revolution will take another turn,” he said in the statement. Sadr renewed his call for the parliament to vote on the cabinet overhaul and asked MPs that represent him not to take part in any session other than the one to be convened for that purpose.
(With Reuters)

US defense chief presses Gulf nations to do more in Iraq
AP, Riyadh Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Defense Secretary Ash Carter pressed reluctant defense ministers from six Gulf nations Wednesday to provide more economic and political support to Iraq now to help the war-torn nation in its fight against ISIS. In a series of sessions, Carter urged the Arab countries to specifically help with the reconstruction of cities of Ramadi and Hit as well as Anbar province, areas that have been won back from the militant group but left in near-shambles. He said helping the Iraqi people go home and rebuild their lives would lead to a more lasting victory and promote a more inclusive government. The defense ministers’ meeting was aimed at laying the groundwork for a summit Thursday among President Barack Obama and heads of state from the Arab countries. A senior defense official said the defense chiefs had a robust discussion, but came to no solid agreements on the increased aid. The official said it appears the Gulf nations will be willing to consider doing more. But the Sunni leaders want to wait until they see more political improvements in Baghdad and greater participation and aid for the Sunni population before they agree to do more. Iraq is a Sunni-majority country with a Shiite-led government. The US has been unhappy with what the Gulf nations have been willing to do in the fight, both with their military forces and financial contributions. In recent comments to The Atlantic Magazine, Obama described Gulf countries, among others, as “free riders” that show “an unwillingness to put any skin in the game” when it comes to their own regional security. Those comments have chilled Obama’s welcome at the summit. And, while Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states are part of the US-led coalition battling ISIS in Iraq and Syria, they have done only limited airstrikes in Syria. Carter told a news conference later that Sunni support for a multi-sectarian government in Iraq will insure that ISIS “stays defeated.”“What we would like, and what we discussed today, is to do more,” said Carter, who spoke at Diriyah Palace alongside Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani. At the meeting were defense ministers from the six GCC nations - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar. The ministers also reaffirmed ways that their militaries can work more together, including in training, exercises and missions with their special operations and naval forces. One proposal would have each country designate a special operations unit to go through enhanced training so it could work more closely with all the other nations. The ministers also talked about ways to counter threats from Iran - a high priority for the Gulf countries who have been dismayed with the US move to reduce sanctions on Tehran in exchange for the nuclear agreement. Al-Zayani said at the news conference that Carter expressed the US commitment to stand with the Gulf nations against Iranian threats, including weapons smuggling into countries such as Yemen. The US official said that the US wants to see a continued push to interdict the weapons shipments from Iran to insurgent groups in Yemen and other areas. The official was not authorized to discuss the issues publicly ahead of the meeting, so spoke on condition of anonymity. US officials also want Gulf nations to have a more formal diplomatic presence in Baghdad, arguing that involvement with the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government will decrease the deep sectarianism fracturing the country. There have been significant investments in the region’s air forces in recent years, but the widely dispersed fight against ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria requires a greater emphasis on special operations missions and naval forces, said the official.

ISIS overruns part of Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor city
Agencies Wednesday, 20 April 2016/ISIS has tightened the noose on a regime-held enclave in eastern Syria, overrunning part of the city of Deir Ezzor and advancing on its vital airbase, a monitor said Wednesday. “ISIS seized the Al-Sinaa neighborhood of Deir Ezzor on Tuesday evening and fighting is continuing on the edge of the airport,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. An estimated 200,000 civilians are believed to remain in government-held districts of Deir Ezzor, where they have been living under siege by ISIS since March 2014.
Watch also: Iran- al-Qaeda - ISIS: controversial ties
The militants, who also control nearly all the surrounding province, have made repeated attacks on the government enclave and in January seized the suburb of Al-Bgheliyeh. But their efforts to capture the city’s airbase have so far been repulsed by elite regime troops. There has been growing concern for the besieged civilian population and, in January, Russia announced that it had equipped Syrian military transport aircraft to carry out aid drops to the city. On April 10, the World Food Program said it had carried out its first ever successful high-altitude airdrop, to deliver 20 tons of food aid to government-held neighborhoods. A previous attempt by the UN agency to drop aid to Deir Ezzor failed in February, when some of the pallets missed the drop zone and others were damaged due to their parachutes failing to function properly. The UN has carried out three successful air drops so far but has only reached a small fraction of the population. Elsewhere in Syria, government air raids on a rebel-held district of the battleground northern city of Aleppo killed seven people, the Observatory said. The strikes on the eastern neighborhood of Salaheddin were the latest salvo in a flareup of violence in and around Aleppo that has tested a Russian- and US-brokered ceasefire that went into force in late February. Opposition delegates walked out of peace talks in Geneva on Tuesday in protest at what they said was an escalation of violence by the regime. Later on Tuesday, suspected regime air strikes on two Al-Qaeda-held towns in northwestern Syria killed at least 44 civilians in markets, the Observatory said. Al-Qaeda, like ISIS, is not party to the February ceasefire. Russia accuses Syrian opposition. Meanwhile, Russia on Wednesday accused the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition of employing blackmail by suspending its participation in peace talks in Geneva. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the tactics deployed by the High Negotiations Committee showed it was not capable of reaching a deal and could not be the sole representative for the opposition at the talks. The statement described as groundless opposition allegations that forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were violating an agreement on a cessation of hostilities and on granting access for humanitarian supplies. In a related story, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Moscow’s military support has helped prevent the disintegration of Syria. Assisted by Russia’s air force, Syrian government troops have liberated more than 400 settlements, Putin said, receiving credentials from foreign ambassadors in the Kremlin. (With AFP, Reuters)

Evacuations begin from blockaded Syrian towns
Reuters, Beirut Wednesday, 20 April 2016/The evacuation of 250 people from two Syrian towns blockaded by pro-government forces began on Wednesday, a witness told Reuters, after an agreement was reached which also allows for another 250 people to leave two towns blocked off by rebels. The Hezbollah-controlled TV station al-Manar reported the agreement earlier on Wednesday. The towns blockaded by pro-government forces are Zabadani and Madaya, near the Lebanese border. Those blockaded by rebels are al-Foua and Kefraya in the northwestern Idlib province, both predominantly Shiite and loyal to the government. A Syrian Arab Red Crescent car leaving Madaya and Zabadani came under rebel fire but there were no casualties, a witness told Reuters. The Lebanese TV station al Mayadeen also reported the Red Crescent convoy had come under rebel fire. Residents of Madaya and Zabadani will be taken to the rebel-held Syrian town of Idlib, the witness said. Pro-opposition TV station Orient News showed coaches with Red Crescent markings lined up for inspection before heading to al-Foua and Kefraya. Orient said residents from the towns would be taken to the Damascus countryside area and the government-controlled city of Latakia. The warring sides agreed a local ceasefire for the four towns in September, but the agreement has not been fully implemented.

Israel says it is giving Jordan, Egypt intel help against ISIS
Reuters, Jerusalem Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Israel provides Jordan and Egypt with intelligence assistance in their fight against ISIS, a senior Israeli military officer said on Wednesday, describing the US-backed Arab neighbors as stable despite the insurgent threat. Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994. They are the only Arab countries to have treaties with Israel, a matter unpopular with many Egyptians and Jordanians and which generally keeps Amman and Cairo quiet about the ties. Major-General Yair Golan, deputy commander of the Israeli armed forces, said in a briefing that the countries were working with Israel as they try to beat back Islamic State. “Egypt fights ISIS in the Sinai peninsula. Jordan is terrified by the presence of ISIS in Jordan’s cities and towns. And we try to work with them in order to contribute something to their security,” he said.The help, Golan told the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem, came “mainly by providing our intelligence, and you do know that while fighting all sorts of insurgency, intelligence is the most important element in the whole system.”Despite deeming this military cooperation as unprecedented, Golan cautioned: “I wouldn’t describe that as some sort of reconciliation between the people. But it is a good starting point and I’m quite optimistic concerning that.”The Israeli general described Jordan as stable, though it has seen major refugee influxes from Syria and Iraq even as it watches those frontiers for militant infiltration. Egypt’s large population and economic struggles during recent political chaos present a greater challenge, he said. “I am quite optimistic about the future of Egypt, but I think that we are going to experience, or they are going to experience, you know, a crisis along the way,” Golan said.

Israeli forces destroy home of Palestinian attacker
AFP, Qalandia Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Israeli forces destroyed the home of a Palestinian assailant who stabbed a woman to death in January before being shot dead by a security guard, the army said on Wednesday. The demolition provoked clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians at the Qalandia refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian media reported. Israeli media reported two soldiers lightly wounded. Israel's military had not responded to requests for information on the reported clashes. It was the latest such demolition carried out by Israel as a deterrent, but which human rights groups say amounts to collective punishment. The demolition occurred overnight at the apartment of Hussein Abu Ghosh in Qalandia, near Ramallah, with the walls inside destroyed. Residents told an AFP journalist that Abu Ghosh's family left the apartment about a month ago. The January 25 attack saw Abu Ghosh, 17, and another Palestinian, Ibrahim Allan, 23, stab two women in the West Bank settlement of Beit Horon, northwest of Jerusalem. One of the women, Shlomit Krigman, 24, later died from her wounds. Both of the assailants were killed by the security guard. Krigman was stabbed near her home while the other woman was attacked outside a grocery store. Israeli authorities also said at the time that they had found and defused three pipe bombs the two had thrown at the grocery store. The attack was part of a wave of violence that erupted in October and which has killed 201 Palestinians and 28 Israelis. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ramped up demolitions of attackers' homes in a bid to halt the unrest. The level of violence has steadily declined in recent weeks, though a bomb explosion on a Jerusalem bus on Monday raised fears of another surge ahead of the Jewish Passover holiday, which begins on Friday evening.

EU stresses Golan position after Israel remarks
AFP, Brussels Wednesday, 20 April 2016/EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini stressed that the European Union does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the annexed territory would "forever" remain in his country's hands. "The EU recognizes Israel within its pre-1967 borders, whatever the government's claims on other areas, until a final settlement is concluded," Mogherini said. "And this is a common consolidated position of the European Union and its member states," she added ahead of a meeting in Brussels for international donors supporting the Palestinian economy. Netanyahu's cabinet on Sunday held its first meeting in the Golan Heights, territory seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War. "The Golan Heights will remain in the hands of Israel forever," Netanyahu said at the start of the cabinet meeting, in comments broadcast on public radio. Bashar al-Jaafari, Syria's envoy to the United Nations, denounced the meeting as an "irresponsible provocation", while Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi called it an "escalation". Israel seized 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War and later annexed it, a move never recognized by the international community.

Israel holds West Bank settler group for attacks on Palestinians
Reuters, Jerusalem Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Israel has arrested six West Bank settlers for violence against Palestinians that included an assault and an attempt to set fire to a home, the Shin Bet security service said on Wednesday, describing the suspects as a “Jewish terror cell”. The group, which included a soldier and two minors, sought to copy the 2015 torching of a house in the West Bank town of Duma that killed three members of a Palestinian family, a Shin Bet statement said. Israel has indicted a West Bank settler for triple murder in the Duma arson and holds another as his alleged accomplice, part of a crackdown launched against Jewish militants believed to be behind violence against Arabs, Christians and army sites.Crimes attributed to the suspects, whose arrests were announced in Wednesday’s statement, include the attempted arson of a Palestinian home, the throwing of a tear gas grenade and an assault on a farmer, who was injured in the attack. There were no fatalities in those incidents, but the Shin Bet said the suspects were fully aware of the possibility they would take lives and had even been “inspired” by the deadly Duma arson. Serious charges would be filed against the six in the coming days, the security service said. Honenu, a legal advocacy group representing the suspects, alleged their access to lawyers was limited to help pressure them into admitting to the crimes. “Compelling confessions, plus withholding access to lawyers - this is not proper,” Aharon Rozen of Honenu told Israel Radio. Rozen said that, according to the confessions given by the two under-aged suspects, “their explicit intent was to deter and not to cause casualties.” Five of those who were arrested are from the settlement of Nahliel, in the central West Bank. The sixth is from the settlement of Kiryat Arba, further to the south near the city of Hebron. Most world powers deem as illegal the settlements that Israel has built on land occupied in the 1967 war, territory Palestinians seek for a state.

Isaac Herzog, Zionist Union chairman and opposition leader: We are considered to be Arab lovers
Ynetnews/Yuval Karni/Published: 04.20.16/ Israel News/Isaac Herzog attempts to disavow statement: I meant Palestinians; party members slam comments as extreme-right, defenders agree party out of touch with Israeli public. Isaac Herzog, Zionist Union chairman and opposition leader, caused a political storm Tuesday night after he told party members in Ashkelon that the general public views the Labor party as “Arab lovers.”Almost immediately after Herzog’s statements, a torrent of criticisms were voiced by a number of his own party members, forcing him to clarify his remarks.
The comment was made in relation to the changing voting patterns in Israel and Herzog’s observation that the Israeli public has shifted further to the right: “We give off an impression and this is interpreted, when we meet the public, that we are Arab lovers,” Herzog said. Shortly after Herzog’s statements were publicized, MK Shelly Yachimovich (Labor) tweeted a cynically: “Is the response of the head of the opposition appropriate for an extreme right protest?,” Yachimovich asked. Furthermore, chairwoman of the left-wing social-democratic Meretz party, Zahava Galon, also joined the criticisms yesterday, saying that “the first victim of this kind of doctrine is Zouheir Bahloul,” an Arab MK also hailing from The Zionist Union camp. Indeed, in a reference to PM Benjamin Netannyahu's controversial comments during the last elections in which he said that the Arabs are "going to the polls in droves," Bahloul himself also expressed his own disapproval, stating that “it would appear that Herzog, inspired by the ‘Arabs flock to the polls’ statement, is also preparing his own juicy campaign.” He added that “to renounce 20% of the population in such a scathing way, to masquerade as a soft right which winks to the frenzied crowds in the city squares and to feel pressured by every poll that comes out, is not the way to form an alternative government.”Bahloul went on to conclude that “this is another incomprehensible moral descent of the culture of Yitzhak Rabin’s party. I condemn Herzog’s comments and demand an apology in the name of all Israeli Arabs in Israel.”The debacle prompted Herzog’s closest associates to responded claiming that his comment was misunderstood and that he was referring to the Palestinians. Zionist Union MK Eitan Cabel, one of Herzog’s inner circle, came to his defense last night: “The chairman of the Zionist Union camp is correct that a significant number of Israelis claim that we support the stance of the Palestinians even more that we support the concerns and interests of Israelis. I share his opinion that it is important for us to strive to change this,” Cabel declared. In an effort to set the record straight, Herzog said that he was indeed referring to the Palestinians and that the Labor party were obliged to transform its public image among Israelis. “We are not frightened to deal with problems that we discover when it comes to relations between the public and the Labor party and the Zionist Union camp. One of the problems is the misguided and dangerous notion that people are trying to associate with us that we consider the needs of the Palestinians before those of the State of Israel and its citizens,” he said.

Israel helps Arab neighbors in fight against ISIS
Ynetnews/Reuters/Published: 04.20.16/ Israel News
Israel admits to providing intelligence assistance to Jordan and Egypt in their fight against ISIS for the first time. "Israel provides Jordan and Egypt with intelligence assistance in their fight against ISIS," the IDF deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, said on Wednesday, describing the US backed Arab neighbours as stable despite the insurgent threat.  Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan in 1994. They are the only Arab countries to have treaties with Israel, a matter unpopular with many Egyptians and Jordanians and which generally keeps Amman and Cairo quiet about the ties. Golan said in a briefing that the countries were working with Israel as they try to beat back ISIS. "Egypt fights ISIS in the Sinai peninusula. Jordan is terrified by the presence of the ISIS in Jordan's cities and towns. And we try to work with them in order to contribute something to their security," he said. The help came "mainly by providing our intelligence, and you do know that while fighting all sorts of insurgency, intelligence is the most important element in the whole system," Golan told the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem. Despite deeming this military cooperation as unprecedented, Golan cautioned, "I wouldn't describe that as some sort of reconciliation between the people. But it is a good starting point and I'm quite optimistic concerning that." The general described Jordan as stable, though it has seen major refugee influxes from Syria and Iraq even as it watches those frontiers for Islamist militant infiltration. Egypt's large population and economic struggles during recent political chaos present a greater challenge, he said. "I am quite optimistic about the future of Egypt, but I think that we are going to experience, or they are going to experience, you know, a crisis along the way," Golan said.

UNESCO Director distances herself from Temple Mount decision
Yoav Karni /Ynetnews/04.20.16/ Israel News/Irena Bokova distances herself from UNESCO statement disregarding Temple Mount religious significance for Jews. 'This decision was made by UNESCO management, not me.'Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid sent a letter sharply criticizing UNESCO's decision to completely disregard the Temple Mount's religious and historic significance for Jews on Saturday. Irina Bokova, current head of UNESCO and in the running to be the next UN secretary general, sent a letter to Lapid in response on Wednesday in which she distanced herself from the resolution.
UNESCO claimed that "Israel attacks the Temple Mount" and completely ignored the fact that the area is sacred to Jews in addition to Muslims. The decision also claims that Israel is "planting fake graves in Muslim cemeteries" in item 14 under the section titled 'Al-Aqsa Mosqe/Al-Haram Al-Sharif.'
Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold sent a harsh letter in protest to all the countries who voted in favor of he UNESCO decision regarding Jerusalem. He spoke about the attempt to erase the Jewish connection to Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish people, and the connections to Jewish holy sites.
"While the UNESCO decision has no practical effect, we will not allow international bodies to blur the connection between the Jewish nation and its eternal capital.". Bokova said in her letter that the decision to thus define the Temple Mount was a political decision and that Bokova herself was opposed to it.
"This decision was made by the economic council and the management council of UNESCO which are both management bodies, and was not made by me," she wrote. The letter continues, "I published a statement immediately after the council meeting ended where I said, 'Jerusalem is a Holy Land of the three monotheistic religions, a place of dialogue for all Jewish, Christian and Muslim people, nothing should be undertaken to alter its integrity and authenticity. It is a mosaic of cultures and peoples, whose history has shaped the history of all humanity. Only respect and dialogue can build the trust we need to move forward – this is the strength of UNESCO, for the benefit of all.'" Bokova's letter then went on to state, "I've said several times in the past that it should be forbidden to politicize UNESCO. As the director general, I took a clear stance regarding circumstances which might have inflamed already heated issues in the Middle East, the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls, which are both recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites."According to Bokova, the organization promotes interests which are important to Israel. "Perhaps you remember the special event UNESCO had in cooperation with the Wiesenthal Center called 'People, Book, Land,' an event which presented the 3,500 year connection of the Jewish Nation with the holy land, and which was held in the Knesset on November 30, 2015. I am determined to work towards the goal of strengthening and building trust between us based on respect and mutual understanding, which are two driving principals of UNESCO," the letter said. The letter concluded by saying, "In closing, I want to promise you that my efforts to combat anti-Semitism and violence will continue."

Turkey denies entry to senior journalist from Russia's Sputnik
Reuters | Istanbul Wednesday, 20 April 2016/Turkey has excluded a senior journalist of Russian state news agency Sputnik from the country, a government spokesman said, in a reflection of growing friction between Ankara and Moscow fueled by war in Syria. Sputnik’s Turkish editor-in-chief Mahir Boztepe told Reuters that Tural Kerimov had been denied entry at Istanbul airport overnight and his press card and residence permit confiscated. Turkish government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus gave security concerns for the move, but gave no details. The exclusion comes a day after officials at Istanbul airport detained and denied entry to a German public television journalist who planned to interview refugees at the Turkey-Syria border. NATO member Turkey is hosting 2.5 million refugees from conflict across its border in Syria and is fighting a campaign against Kurdish insurgents in its southeastern territories. Last week Turkish authorities blocked access to Sputnik’s web site in Turkey after President Vladimir Putin made comments critical of Ankara’s leadership. The site remains blocked. Russian’s foreign ministry has called the blocking unlawful and a grave violation of human rights. Ties between Moscow and Ankara have been strained since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane last November. The European Union, United States and rights groups have criticized Tayyip Erdogan for what they say is Ankara’s attempts to bridle the press and curb criticism of the President.

US should go after Iran, not Saudi Arabia!
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor/Al Arabiya/April 20/16
Congress is hurling daggers at Saudi Arabia, America’s staunchest Arab ally since 1933. Several presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton and her rival Bernie Sanders, have positioned their own darts ready to strike. Some 15 years have gone by since al-Qaeda attacked the United States for which Afghanistan and Iraq paid, and continues to pay, a terrible price. Yet, Congress has chosen to regurgitate this issue with a bill permitting the Kingdom to be stripped of its sovereign immunity so that lawyers acting for the families of 9/11 victims eyeing massive payouts can drag the Saudi government through US courts alleging Saudi participation. Those lawmakers championing the passing of this scurrilous law designed to entrap Saudi in lengthy litigation are not only casting unacceptable slurs on the integrity of the Saudi Royal family, they are risking the serious erosion of already frayed US relations with the Kingdom, Arabian Gulf states and their Sunni allies. It does not help that there is another bill working its way through Congress aimed at curtailing weapons sales to Saudi due to its intervention in Yemen on behalf of the legitimate Yemeni government. If the 9/11 measure goes into effect it could well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It comes on the heels of revelations by Jeffrey Goldberg writing in The Atlantic that President Barack Obama considers Saudi and other Sunni Arab states as “free riders” and when asked “aren’t the Saudis your friends”, he responded saying, “It’s complicated”. Adding insult to injury, he expressed his belief that Saudi must learn to share the neighbourhood with Iran.
Obama comes calling
On Wednesday, Obama is scheduled to arrive in Riyadh on a charm offensive; he will need every ounce he can muster, especially when he is responsible for rearranging the regional geopolitical deckchairs with a deal with Iran, the largest sponsor of terrorism, whose main target is destabilising the security of GCC states, which is why Saudi has formed a 34-nation Muslim anti-terror coalition and has given its blessing to a Joint Arab Force. Admittedly, Obama is greatly opposed to the Congressional bill and is furiously lobbying against it, but he is doing so solely because he is concerned about its potential diplomatic, military, intelligence, legal and economic repercussions and is right to be so, particularly if all GCC member states decided to follow suit by liquidating and repatriating their own US bonds and other assets. Congress has launched an offensive against Saudi Arabia, which unlike Iran, was not indicted in the 9/11 Commission Report. Furthermore, a precedent would be established encouraging Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to sue the United States for the deaths of hundreds of thousands as well as for the civilian victims of drone strikes. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, however, support it, saying they stand with the 9/11 families notwithstanding that Congress approved a $7 billion compensation fund for the families of the fallen, the average payout over $2 million. Sanders has accused Saudi Arabia of spreading a “fundamentalist ideology”, going as far as falsely accusing Riyadh of supporting the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations. In addition, Clinton told ABC News, “Obviously, we’ve got to make anyone who participates in or supports terrorism pay a price…”
Enough is enough!
The Obama administration has done all that it can to undermine the forward trajectory of Egypt since its Muslim Brotherhood friends were removed from power and now Congress has launched an offensive against Saudi Arabia, which unlike Iran, was not indicted in the 9/11 Commission Report that reads “no evidence” was found “that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organization” or conspired with or funded the attackers. That same report did, however, evidence that there was increased contact between Iran and al-Qaeda and confirms that several of the 9/11 terrorists were allowed to travel through Iran without receiving the usual stamp in their passports. More recently a US federal court entered a ruling to the effect Iran and its Lebanese sidekick Hezbollah “materially and directly supported al-Qaeda” in the attacks on America and are responsible for paying damages to stricken families. Are those lawmakers who cooked up this bill implying that regional foes and rivals, Saudi and Iran, were in collaboration? That is not only insulting, it laughable. It is true that many of the hijackers were Saudi nationals. Then again, many of the suicide bombers and shooters involved in the attacks on Paris and Brussels were Belgian and French nationals, so are we to conclude that the Belgian or French governments were pulling their strings? Of course not! Likewise, several of the ISIS’s decapitators are British. Is there anyone stupid enough to take the UK government to court? As a matter of fact, a substantial number of Americans have long asked US governments for greater transparency on events surrounding 9/11 but to date their questions remain unanswered. I would love to know the real reasons why Congress is ignoring the established Iranian connection to go after Saudi. Why is the Kingdom the preferred target? I have found it hard to believe that US politicians of all political stripes are out to weaken GCC states and other majority Sunni countries, but the proof is building daily. The Iranian President gets bouquets and billions. Saudi gets slanders and snubs. Such double standards can no longer be brushed under the rug. Some of the blame for the circumstance in which we find ourselves should fall to us Arabs and Gulf nationals. We have been far too quick to forgive and too willing to be convinced that the mighty US is our forever friend and has our interests at heart.

No S-300s or cash windfall for Iran
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis April 19, 2016
Iran held its annual military parade on April 17 to mark National Army Day. debkafile’s military and Iranian sources said it was the most unimpressive in recent years. Iran usually displays its most advanced missiles and other weapons systems, but this year it only showed components of the S-300 antiaircraft system acquired from Russia, demonstrating that Moscow had held back on the entire missiles and will apparently continue to do so in the near future. On show only were parts of the S-300 radar system, an empty command structure without the launching systems, and a crane used to lift the missiles onto the launchers. Western military experts who monitored the parade said no other country would display such a miserably inadequate collection of missile system parts, and it emphasizes that Iran did not receive the missiles but only useless components, of the supporting technical system.
The military experts said the other weapons systems displayed at the parade showed that the country’s two main fighting forces are tired and worn out. This follows three years of fighting in Syria by the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and only four months of fighting by units from Iran’s standing army that have had no significant achievements on the battlefield despite massive air support by Russia. It also seems like a very large percentage of those killed and wounded has come from the Revolutionary Guard. debkafile’s military sources report that during the Teharn parade, Iranian Gen. Mohamed Reda Zada was seriously wounded on the front near Aleppo in northern Syria. Zada was the latest of a long list of high-ranking Iranian casualties of the war. The Revolutionary Guard arranged for a special plane to fly him back to Tehran the same day, and he is now in a military hospital where doctors are fighting for his life.
Meanwhile, despite the lifting of sanctions following Iran’s nuclear deal with the world powers, Tehran has not only been unable to acquire advanced weapons, but has also failed to recover its frozen assets from US and European banks. US Secretary of State John Kerry notice on April 19 shortly before his meeting in New York with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, that Tehran had only recovered about $3 billion of its frozen assets since the agreement was reached last year. Kerry ridiculed the American politicians, particularly Republicans, as well as others, such as Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who estimated that Iran would enjoy a windfall of between $100 billion and $150 billion worth of assets. debkafile’s sources say that there are two reasons why Tehran has only recovered such a comparatively small amount of funds:

1. Although EU member states and the UN have lifted their sanctions, the US has not done so. The Obama administration is having difficulty passing bills in Congress for cancellation of the sanctions, while the Congress is preparing to impose new sanctions over Iran’s continuing tests of nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
2. The majority of the Iranian funds are in banks outside the US. Since Washington has yet to lift its sanctions, these banks, which conduct the majority of their transactions in the US, are afraid to release the frozen funds and do business with the Iranians because the US could eventually take action against them.
In other words, the losses incurred by international banks for doing business with Iran would be grater than their profits.

Dialogue as a means of tolerance
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/April 20/16
One of the basic tenets of knowledge is being open to other opinions and engaging in dialogue with them. Scientific temperament and knowledge depend on each other. The history of knowledge is “a history of mistakes,” as French Philosopher Gaston Bachelard said.While discussing his principle of falsifiability, Austrian-British Philosopher Karl Popper suggested that a theory which is not open to falsification is not necessarily scientific. Dialogue is a condition for knowledge as without dialogue, results turn into valueless identical facts that do not establish a sound knowledgeable generation. Dialogue opens up prospects for science and knowledge so no truth overshadows the other. Absence of dialogue is the most dangerous thing. It is as if the ideas we have, the research we have conducted or the formulae of understanding we have developed are final and the absolute truth which others must comply with and follow as example.
Popper says that achieving real progress in sciences seems impossible without tolerance and without our certain feeling that we can publicly speak our ideas regardless of the results, which these ideas will lead us to. Therefore, tolerance and dedication for the sake of truth are two moral principles that establish for science and help its progress. The other two similar principles are intellectual modesty and intellectual responsibility. (There must be) insistence that we don’t think about ourselves but about truth and maintenance of critical approach regarding all problems until the end, he says. The credit for establishing tolerance in philosophy goes to Arab philosopher al-Kindi. He defined philosophy as “the science of things and their true nature.” Tolerance in the field of knowledge helps spread the spirit of cooperation and dialogue in society. Crises produce violence in nations which give up dialogue and are driven by rivalry and loud arguments. It’s not possible to understand sciences and their basis and cooperate on renewing formulae, facts and methods unless through dialogue that paves way for tolerance. The Arab culture has for a long time worked on inheriting convictions without discussing them. Modern science, however, was based on ancient Greek heritage which is based on argument and conversation, and it is primarily Plato’s conversations, which still enrich the world until today.
Knowledge facts
When education ministries in the Arab and Muslim worlds can spread the idea of possibilities regarding all knowledge-related facts, they can establish real pillars of tolerance that lead to dialogue. I hope dialogue is added as a subject in the curricula to be taught and thus introduce students to the most significant conversations in Islamic history, or what have come to be known as “debates.” This will give an idea about methods of dialogue as a tool for co-existence, tolerance and learning. Otherwise, how would those who lack the values of dialogue and its methods learn? Great Arab thinker Salama Moussa lectured about tolerance in the beginning of the 20th century. He said: “Nothing serves ideological freedom and guarantees its continuity, and urges defending it like expanded culture, as studying and addressing different and contradictory opinions, which enhance the spirit of tolerance.”Knowledge which is not founded on dialogue, and which does not lead to tolerance, has negative repercussions.

Veiling Women: Islamists' Most Powerful Weapon
Giulio Meotti/Gatestone Institute/April 20/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7834/islam-veiled-women
The first victim of the Islamist war in Algeria was a girl who refused the veil, Katia Bengana, who defended her choice even as the executioners pointed a gun at her head. In 1994, Algiers literally awoke to walls plastered with posters announcing the execution of unveiled women.
In April 1947, Princess Lalla Aisha gave a speech in Tangiers and people listened astonished to that unveiled girl. In a few weeks, women throughout the country refused the scarf. Today Morocco is one of the freest countries in the Arab world.
In the mid-1980s, sharia law was implemented in many countries, women in the Middle East were placed in a portable prison and in Europe they resumed the veil to reclaim their "identity," which meant the refusal of assimilation to Western values and the Islamization of many European cities.
First veils were imposed on women, then Islamists began their jihad against the West.
Laurence Rossignol, France's Minister for the Family, Children and Women's Rights, sparked a furor about the Islamic veil proliferating in her country, when she compared headscarved women to "American negroes who accepted slavery." In addition, Elisabeth Badinter, one of France's most famous feminists, even called for boycotting Europe's fashion companies, such as Uniqlo and Dolce & Gabbana, which are developing Islamically correct clothes (in 2013, Muslims spent $266 billion dollars on clothing, and the figure could reach $484 billion by 2019).
A new trend is also emerging in Western popular culture, which was almost invisible in the media a decade ago: headscarved women are now also present in television programs such as MasterChef.
The mainstream culture now considers veiling women "normal." Air France recently called on its female employees to wear veils while in Iran. The government of Italy recently veiled nude sculptures at Rome's Capitoline Museum during a visit by Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, out of "respect" for his sensibilities.
In the Arab-Islamic world, however, for a long time covered women were the exception.It is hard to believe that, until the early 1990s, the majority of women in Algeria were not veiled. On May 13, 1958 at Place du Gouvernement in Algiers, dozens of women tore off their veils. Miniskirts invaded the streets.
Iran's Revolution reversed this trend: the first scarf appeared at the beginning of the 1980s with the rise of the Islamic movements in Algeria's universities and poor neighborhoods. The hijab was distributed by the Iranian Embassy in Algiers. In 1990, Algeria was on the edge of a long season of death and fear: a civil war, with the specter of Islamist breakthrough (100,000 dead). People knew that something terrible was going to happen by counting the number of veils in the streets.The first victim of the Islamist war in Algeria was a girl who refused the veil, Katia Bengana. She defended her choice even as the executioners pointed a gun at her head. In 1994, Algiers literally awoke to walls plastered with Islamist posters announcing the execution of unveiled women. Today, very few women dare to leave their house without a hijab or chador.
Look at the photographs of Kabul in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and you will see many unveiled women. Then came the Taliban and covered them. The emancipation in Morocco was sparked by Princess Lalla Aisha, the daughter of Sultan Mohamed Ben Youssef, who took the title of king when the country proclaimed independence. In April 1947, Lalla gave a speech in Tangiers and people listened astonished to that unveiled girl. In a few weeks, women throughout the country refused the scarf. Today Morocco is one of the freest countries in the Arab world. Look at the photographs of Kabul in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and you will see many unveiled women. Then came the Taliban and covered them. In Egypt, back in the 1950s, President Gamal Abdel Nasser took to television to mock the Muslim Brotherhood's request to veil the women. His wife, Tahia, did not wear a scarf, even in official photographs. Today, according to the scholar Mona Abaza, 80% of Egyptian women are veiled. It was only in the 1990s that the strict Wahhabi version of Islam arrived in Egypt, through millions of Egyptians who went to work in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Meanwhile, Islamist political movements gained ground. Then Egyptian women began sporting the veil.
In Iran, the traditional black veil covering Iranian women from head to ankles, invaded the country under Ayatollah Khomeini. He asserted that the chador is the "banner of the revolution" and imposed it on all the women. Fifty years earlier, in 1926, Reza Shah had provided police protection to women who had chosen to refuse the veil. On January 7, 1936, the Shah ordered all the teachers, the wives of ministers and government officials "to appear in European clothes." The Shah asked his wife and daughters to go unveiled in public. These and other Western reforms were supported by Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, who succeeded his father in September 1941, and instituted the ban on veiled women in public.
In Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk harangued female crowds, pushing them to set an example: taking off the veil meant hastening the necessary rapprochement between Turkey and Western civilization. For fifty years, Turkey refused the veil -- until 1997, when the government headed by the Islamist Necmettin Erbakan abolished the ban on the veil in public places. Turkey's Erdogan used the veil to encourage the rampant Islamization of the society. In contrast, Tunisia's President, Habib Bourguiba, issued a circular banning the wearing of hijab in schools and public offices. He called the veil "odious rag," and promoted his country as one of the most enlightened Arab nations. It was not only the Muslim world that for a long time refused this symbol. Before the spread of radical Islam, the miniskirt, a symbol of Western culture, could also be seen all over the Middle East. There are many photographs to remind us of that long period: the unveiled stewardesses in skirts of the Afghan airline (what an irony that Air France today wants to veil them); the beauty contest that King Hussein of Jordan organized at Hotel Philadelphia; the Iraqi female football team; the Syrian female athlete Silvana Shaheen; the unveiled Libyan women marching in the streets; the female students at the Palestinian Birzeit University and the Egyptian girls on the beach (at that time, a burkini would have been rejected as a cage).
Then, in the mid-1980s, everything suddenly changed: Sharia law was implemented in many countries, women in the Middle East were placed in a portable prison, and in Europe they resumed the veil to reclaim their "identity," which meant the refusal of assimilation to Western values and the Islamization of many European cities. First veils were imposed on women, then Islamists began their jihad against the West. First we betrayed these women by accepting their slavery as a "liberation," then Air France started veiling women while in Iran as a form of "respect." It is also revealing of the hypocrisy of most of Western feminists, who are always ready to denounce the "homophobic" Christians and "sexism" in the U.S., but keep silent about the sexual crimes of radical Islam. In the words of the feminist Rebecca Brink Vipond, "I won't take the bait of a patronizing call for feminists to set aside their goals in America to address problems in Muslim theocracies." These are the same feminists who abandoned Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the brave Dutch-Somali dissident from Islam, to her own defenses even after she found refuge in the U.S.: they prevented her from speaking at Brandeis University.
For how long we will maintain our ban on female genital mutilation (FGM)? A study just published in the U.S. suggests that allowing some "milder" forms of female mutilation, which affect 200 million women in the world, is more "culturally sensitive" than a ban on the practice, and that a ritual "nick" of girls' vaginas could prevent a more radical disfiguring practice. The proposal didn't come from Tariq Ramadan or an Islamic court in Sudan, but from two American gynecologists, Kavita Shah Arora and Allan J. Jacobs, who published the study in one of the most important scientific journals, the Journal of Medical Ethics.
It is a testament to the depths that can be reached in what the French "new philosopher," Pascal Bruckner, called "the tears of White men" with their masochism, cowardice and cynical relativism. Why not also justify the Islamic stoning of women who are said to commit adultery? It is as if we cannot capitulate quickly enough.
**Giulio Meotti, Cultural Editor for Il Foglio, is an Italian journalist and author.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.

Turkey: Erdogan's Thin-Skinned Government
Robbie Travers/Gatestone Institute/April 20/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/7870/erdogan-thin-skinned

Is there any other person you trust to decide which ideas and speech you are entitled to hear -- or which are too dangerous for you to hear?
The thin-skinned government of Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has in the past two years opened at least 1,845 cases over insults to the president.
Turkey's World Press Freedom Index ranking has plummeted to 149 out of 180, below Zimbabwe (131) and Burundi (145).
Despite the ruling of Turkey's judicial system that Erdogan could not eliminate access to Twitter, he nevertheless continues to advance his agenda of censorship. He pledges to "eradicate Twitter" which, according to him, encourages "blasphemy and criticism of the Turkish government."
Is there any other person you trust to decide which ideas and speech you are entitled to hear -- or which are too dangerous for you to hear?
Is there any other person you think should have the ability to decide what criticism of the Government is respectful enough?
Would you cede your autonomy to decide what you to hear to a Government? Probably not.
The Turkish government does not agree. Evidently Turkey's AKP Government in Ankara believes it is fit to be this authority, and not just domestically. Its urge to censor negative press seems to be going global.
The Government of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara recently summoned the German ambassador to demand the deletion of a satirical music video which highlighted his government's aggression against the Kurdish people, his brutal repression of protestors, and his weak position on equal rights for women. Turkey also insisted that a German comedian be prosecuted under an obscure German law for insulting the leader of a foreign country. Turkey seems to be spending more time policing the image of Erdogan abroad than the serious security situation it is facing. Turkey's latest authoritarian crackdown on the rights of its citizens to freedom of expression should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the country's path towards an increasingly Islamist, authoritarian government.
Erdogan's renowned thin-skinned government has, in the past two years, opened at least 1,845 cases over insults to the president, such as, for instance, comparing the president to Gollum from Lord of the Rings. Last year, Dr. Bilgin Ciftci of Turkey posted photos on Twitter juxtaposing President Erdogan with the fictional character Gollum. Ciftci was immediately fired from the hospital where he worked. Then he was brought to court for insulting Erdogan, an offense punishable by up to four years in prison. In March, a court placed the newspaper Zaman in the control of state administrators, with no clear reason given, arguably breaching Article Three of the European Convention of Human Rights:
"2. Everyone charged with a criminal offence has the following minimum rights:
"(a) to be informed promptly, in a language which he understands and in detail, of the nature and cause of the accusation against him;"
Zaman has apparently never received information of the charges against it, or the reason for the court order placing its activities and infrastructure under state control -- moves breaching further sections of Article 3, which specify the right to be able to "construct a defence". Without knowing what charges it faces, Zaman is unable to do that.
In addition, Turkey's World Press Freedom Index ranking has plummeted to 149 out of 180: below Zimbabwe (131) and Burundi (145).
Turkey also continues to imprison possibly the highest number of journalists of any nation -- according the Committee to Protect Journalists, the assessed number is 14 out of 199, worldwide. Other sources claim the number is closer to 30, and still others suggest that Turkey has had the greatest number of incarcerated journalists globally. Whatever the true number, it is shameful that a NATO member, pledged to uphold the values of democracy as a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), ranks among some of the worst abusers of press freedom, including Iran, China and Saudi Arabia.
The Turkish government led by Erdogan seems to be undergoing a public transformation into an increasingly totalitarian state. Turkey has been abandoning the pro-Western principles of Kemalism and pivoting, with a more oppressive and expansionist outlook, toward Ottoman Islam.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was willing and overtly "proud' to show solidarity with the massacred Charlie Hebdo satirists in Paris by joining the Marche Republicaine against those who would attack freedom of speech. At home, however, Davutoglu pursues a domestic agenda that not only infringes upon media freedom, but also on the freedoms of individual citizens in fundamental breaches of ECHR legislation. Davutoglu, for example, has suggested women being equal to men causes suicides. Turkey has also attempted, during Erdogan's period of governance, to ban both Twitter -- for "incit[ing] political dissent" -- and YouTube -- for "promot[ing] the act of religious defamation (article 216)." Erdogan blocked Twitter during responses to terror attacks and public protests, and attempted to quell any protest against his government.
Under the pretense of "counter terrorism," Erdogan has repeatedly been attempting to strangle the channels of discussion and the organizing of protests. In any state claiming that protests are linked to terrorism and blasphemy is unjustifiable. These are classic intimidatory tactics. They illustrate why the West must begin to criticize Erdogan's regime to a greater extent on its infringement on freedom of speech, rather than to make deals with it. Had Charlie Hebdo been a Turkish publication, its material would most likely have been branded illegal or brought under state control: it would likely no longer exist.
Despite the ruling by Turkey's judiciary that Erdogan could not eliminate access to Twitter, he nevertheless continues to advance his agenda of censorship. This position Erdogan holds, of branding opposition to his regime as blasphemy, creates a religious divide between those who are "pure" and those who are "dangerous." Further, as mentioned, the notion that an idea is too politically toxic to be discussed contravenes the principles of free speech and freedom of expression that Turkey pledged as a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights.
Turkey's lurch to establish its government as some form of unassailable authority beyond questioning again breaches the ECHR, this time Article 9:
"1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief, in worship, teaching, practice and observance. "
Turkey is also likely to fall afoul of Article 10 of the ECHR:
"Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers."
Turkey's blocking of social media, which targets communication with the outside world, also clearly infringes on the "regardless of frontiers" stipulation.
And finally, Turkey's actions are also clearly in breach of Article 11
"Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests."The European Union and the liberal democracies have remained silent on Turkey's aggressive campaign against civil liberties. But it is time to stop betraying Turkish liberals, democrats and Kurdish people facing persecution for their views -- before it comes "soon to a theater near you." Countries in the West sometimes seem to fantasize that Turkey, with half of Istanbul in Europe, can therefore can modernized, be become progressive and work with the West. They distance themselves and turn a blind eye to the Turkish government's assaults on human rights. Before Turkey is capitulated to even further, or again considered for membership in the European Union, shining a serious light on the country seems long overdue.
Robbie Travers, a political commentator and consultant, is Executive Director of Agora, former media manager at the Human Security Centre, and a law student at the University of Edinburgh.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute

USA Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 Related Sanctions Regulations; Counter Terrorism Designations Updates; Syria Designations Updates
US Department Of The Treasury

http://eliasbejjaninews.com/2016/04/20/us-department-of-the-treasuryusa-hizballah-international-financing-prevention-act-of-2015-related-sanctions-regulations-counter-terrorism-designations-updates-syria-designations-u

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20160415.aspx
USA Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 Related Sanctions Regulations; Counter Terrorism Designations Updates; Syria Designations Updates
US Department Of The Treasury
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/Pages/20160415.aspx
Home » Resource Center » Financial Sanctions » OFAC Recent Actions » Publication of the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 Related Sanctions Regulations; Counter Terrorism Designations Updates; Syria Designations Updates
Publication of the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 Related Sanctions Regulations; Counter Terrorism Designations Updates; Syria Designations Updates
4/15/2016
On April 15, 2016, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued regulations to implement the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015.
In addition, OFAC has updated its List of Specially Designated Nationals.
The following changes have been made to OFAC's SDN List:

ABDALLAH, Mushammad Yusif, Avenue Presidente Juscelino Kubistcheck 338, Apartment 1802, Center, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Avenue Presidente Juscelino Kubistcheck 133, Apartment 102, Center, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 15 Jun 1952; POB Khalia, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Cedula No. 1110775 (Paraguay); Passport 670317 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 137532 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- ABDALLAH, Muhammad Yusif, Avenue Presidente Juscelino Kubistcheck 338, Apartment 1802, Center, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Avenue Presidente Juscelino Kubistcheck 133, Apartment 102, Center, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 15 Jun 1952; POB Khalia, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Cedula No. 1110775 (Paraguay); Passport 670317 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 137532 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT].

AERO SKYONE CO. LIMITED (a.k.a. AERO SKY ONE LTD; a.k.a. AEROSKYONE CO. LTD), Tianhe Qu, Tianhe Bei Lu, 255 Hao, 1606 Fang, Guangzhou, China; Room 1501 (340), 15/F, SPA Center, 53-55 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; Room 1501 (340), Lockhart, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; Website www.aerskyone.com [SDGT] (Linked To: ZEAITER, Ali). -to- AERO SKYONE CO. LIMITED (a.k.a. AERO SKY ONE LTD; a.k.a. AEROSKYONE CO. LTD), Tianhe Qu, Tianhe Bei Lu, 255 Hao, 1606 Fang, Guangzhou, China; Room 1501 (340), 15/F, SPA Center, 53-55 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; Room 1501 (340), Lockhart, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; Website www.aerskyone.com; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: ZEAITER, Ali).

AL MANAR TV, Al Manar TV, Abed al Nour Street, Haret Hriek, Beirut, Lebanon; PO Box 354/25, Beirut, Lebanon; info@manartv.com; www.manartv.com; www.almanar.com.lb [SDGT]. -to- AL MANAR TV, Al Manar TV, Abed al Nour Street, Haret Hriek, Beirut, Lebanon; PO Box 354/25, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; info@manartv.com; www.manartv.com; www.almanar.com.lb [SDGT].

AL NOUR RADIO (a.k.a. AL NOUR BROADCASTING STATION; a.k.a. AL NUR RADIO; a.k.a. RADIO ANNOUR), Abed Al Nour Street, PO Box 197/25, Alghobeiri, Haret Hriek, Beirut, Lebanon; info@al-nour.net; www.al-nour.net [SDGT]. -to- AL NOUR RADIO (a.k.a. AL NOUR BROADCASTING STATION; a.k.a. AL NUR RADIO; a.k.a. RADIO ANNOUR), Abed Al Nour Street, PO Box 197/25, Alghobeiri, Haret Hriek, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; info@al-nour.net; www.al-nour.net [SDGT].

AL-INMAA ENGINEERING AND CONTRACTING (a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP FOR ENGINEERING AND CONTRACTING; a.k.a. INMAA 'AL' FOR ENGINEERING AND CONTRACTING SARL), Ground Floor, Inmaa Building, New Airport Highway, Beirut, Lebanon; Airport Highway, Bir Hassan, Beirut, Lebanon; Aljadriya, Baghdad, Iraq; Aljazzar Road, Basra, Iraq; Al-Jaza'ir Street, 'Oman Neighborhood, Basra, Iraq; Website www.alinmaa.com.lb [SDGT] (Linked To: TABAJA, Adham Husayn; Linked To: AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORKS, LLC). -to- AL-INMAA ENGINEERING AND CONTRACTING (a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP FOR ENGINEERING AND CONTRACTING; a.k.a. INMAA 'AL' FOR ENGINEERING AND CONTRACTING SARL), Ground Floor, Inmaa Building, New Airport Highway, Beirut, Lebanon; Airport Highway, Bir Hassan, Beirut, Lebanon; Aljadriya, Baghdad, Iraq; Aljazzar Road, Basra, Iraq; Al-Jaza'ir Street, 'Oman Neighborhood, Basra, Iraq; Website www.alinmaa.com.lb; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: TABAJA, Adham Husayn; Linked To: AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORKS, LLC).

AL-INMAA FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE PROJECTS (a.k.a. AL-INMAA FOR ENTERTAINMENTS AND LEISURE PROJECTS; a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE PROJECTS), Ground Floor, Al Rabieh Building, New Airport Highway, Beirut, Lebanon [SDGT] (Linked To: AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORKS, LLC). -to- AL-INMAA FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE PROJECTS (a.k.a. AL-INMAA FOR ENTERTAINMENTS AND LEISURE PROJECTS; a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP FOR ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE PROJECTS), Ground Floor, Al Rabieh Building, New Airport Highway, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORKS, LLC).

AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORKS, LLC (a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP; a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORK, LLC; a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP, LLC), Al-Inmaa Group Building, New Airport Highway, Beirut, Lebanon; Website www.alinmaa-group.com; Commercial Registry Number 8-0788 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: TABAJA, Adham Husayn). -to- AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORKS, LLC (a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP; a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP FOR TOURISM WORK, LLC; a.k.a. AL-INMAA GROUP, LLC), Al-Inmaa Group Building, New Airport Highway, Beirut, Lebanon; Website www.alinmaa-group.com; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Commercial Registry Number 8-0788 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: TABAJA, Adham Husayn).

ALIQ, Qasim (a.k.a. ALEIK, Kassem; a.k.a. 'ALIQ, Hajj Qasim; a.k.a. 'ALIQ, Qasem; a.k.a. 'ULAYQ, Qasim); DOB 1956; POB Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- ALIQ, Qasim (a.k.a. ALEIK, Kassem; a.k.a. 'ALIQ, Hajj Qasim; a.k.a. 'ALIQ, Qasem; a.k.a. 'ULAYQ, Qasim); DOB 1956; POB Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

AL-MUSAWI, Ali Mussa Daqduq (a.k.a. 'ABD AL-YUNIS, Hamid Majid; a.k.a. AL-LAMI, Hamid Muhammad; a.k.a. AL-MASUI, Husayn Muhammad Jabur; a.k.a. AL-MUSAWI, Hamid Muhammad Daqduq; a.k.a. AL-MUSAWI, Hamid Muhammad Jabur; a.k.a. AL-MUSUI, Hamid Muhammad Jabur; a.k.a. DAQDUQ, Ali Mussa; a.k.a. JABUR AL-LAMI, Hamid Muhammad); DOB 01 Sep 1969; alt. DOB 31 Dec 1971; alt. DOB 09 Aug 1971; alt. DOB 09 Sep 1970; alt. DOB 09 Aug 1969; alt. DOB 05 Mar 1972; POB Beirut, Lebanon; alt. POB Al-Karradah, Baghdad, Iraq; nationality Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- AL-MUSAWI, Ali Mussa Daqduq (a.k.a. 'ABD AL-YUNIS, Hamid Majid; a.k.a. AL-LAMI, Hamid Muhammad; a.k.a. AL-MASUI, Husayn Muhammad Jabur; a.k.a. AL-MUSAWI, Hamid Muhammad Daqduq; a.k.a. AL-MUSAWI, Hamid Muhammad Jabur; a.k.a. AL-MUSUI, Hamid Muhammad Jabur; a.k.a. DAQDUQ, Ali Mussa; a.k.a. JABUR AL-LAMI, Hamid Muhammad); DOB 01 Sep 1969; alt. DOB 31 Dec 1971; alt. DOB 09 Aug 1971; alt. DOB 09 Sep 1970; alt. DOB 09 Aug 1969; alt. DOB 05 Mar 1972; POB Beirut, Lebanon; alt. POB Al-Karradah, Baghdad, Iraq; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

AL-QARD AL-HASSAN ASSOCIATION (a.k.a. AL-QUARD AL-HASSAN ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. AL-QUARDH AL-HASSAN ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. KARADH AL-HASSAN), Beirut, Lebanon [SDGT]. -to- AL-QARD AL-HASSAN ASSOCIATION (a.k.a. AL-QUARD AL-HASSAN ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. AL-QUARDH AL-HASSAN ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. KARADH AL-HASSAN), Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

AL-QUBAYSI, Abd-al-Munim (a.k.a. KOBEISSI, Abd Al Menhem; a.k.a. KOBEISSI, Abdel Menhem; a.k.a. KOBEISSI, Abdul Menhem; a.k.a. KOBEISSY, Abdul Menhem; a.k.a. KUBAYSY, Abd Al Munhim; a.k.a. QUBAYSI, Abd Al Menhem); DOB 01 Jan 1964; alt. DOB 1961; POB Beirut, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Passport RL 1622378 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- AL-QUBAYSI, Abd-al-Munim (a.k.a. KOBEISSI, Abd Al Menhem; a.k.a. KOBEISSI, Abdel Menhem; a.k.a. KOBEISSI, Abdul Menhem; a.k.a. KOBEISSY, Abdul Menhem; a.k.a. KUBAYSY, Abd Al Munhim; a.k.a. QUBAYSI, Abd Al Menhem); DOB 01 Jan 1964; alt. DOB 1961; POB Beirut, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport RL 1622378 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT].

AL-SHAMI, Ahmad; DOB 1965; POB Beirut, Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- AL-SHAMI, Ahmad; DOB 1965; POB Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

AL-SHAMI, Husayn (a.k.a. AL-SHAMI, Haj Husayn; a.k.a. AL-SHAMY, Husayn; a.k.a. ASHAMI, Husayn; a.k.a. SHAIMI, Husayn; a.k.a. SHAMAI, Husayn; a.k.a. SHAMY, Husayn), Lebanon; DOB 1948; alt. DOB 1954; alt. DOB 1960 (individual) [SDGT]. -to- AL-SHAMI, Husayn (a.k.a. AL-SHAMI, Haj Husayn; a.k.a. AL-SHAMY, Husayn; a.k.a. ASHAMI, Husayn; a.k.a. SHAIMI, Husayn; a.k.a. SHAMAI, Husayn; a.k.a. SHAMY, Husayn), Lebanon; DOB 1948; alt. DOB 1954; alt. DOB 1960; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

AL-WATFA, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a. AL-WAFA, Ali Ibrahim; a.k.a. AL-WAFA, Alie Ibrahim; a.k.a. AL-WATFA, Alie Ibrahim; a.k.a. IBRAHIM, Al Hajj Alie), 26 Malama Thomas Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone; DOB 1969; POB Al Qalamun, Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- AL-WATFA, Ali Ibrahim (a.k.a. AL-WAFA, Ali Ibrahim; a.k.a. AL-WAFA, Alie Ibrahim; a.k.a. AL-WATFA, Alie Ibrahim; a.k.a. IBRAHIM, Al Hajj Alie), 26 Malama Thomas Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone; DOB 1969; POB Al Qalamun, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

AMHAZ, Issam Mohamad (a.k.a. AMHAZ, 'Isam; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Issam Mohamed), Ghadir, 5th Floor, Safarat, Bir Hassan, Jenah, Lebanon; Issam Mohamad Amhaz Property, Ambassades (Safarate), Bir Hassan Area , Ghobeiri, Baabda, Lebanon; DOB 04 Mar 1967; POB Baalbek, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Passport RL0000199 (Lebanon); Identification Number 61 Nabha; Chairman, Stars Group Holding; General Manager, Teleserveplus (individual) [SDGT]. -to- AMHAZ, Issam Mohamad (a.k.a. AMHAZ, 'Isam; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Issam Mohamed), Ghadir, 5th Floor, Safarat, Bir Hassan, Jenah, Lebanon; Issam Mohamad Amhaz Property, Ambassades (Safarate), Bir Hassan Area , Ghobeiri, Baabda, Lebanon; DOB 04 Mar 1967; POB Baalbek, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport RL0000199 (Lebanon); Identification Number 61 Nabha; Chairman, Stars Group Holding; General Manager, Teleserveplus (individual) [SDGT].

AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamad (a.k.a. AL-AMHAZ, Kamel; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Kamel; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamed; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Kamil), 5th Floor, Ghadir Building, Kods Street, Haret Hreik, Baabda, Lebanon; Ghadir, 5th Floor, Safarat, Bir Hassan, Jenah, Lebanon; Ghadir 5th Floor, Embassies Street, Bir Hasan, Lebanon; Dallas Center, Saida Old Street, Chiah, Baabda, Lebanon; DOB 04 Aug 1973; nationality Lebanon; Passport RL2244333 (Lebanon); Identification Number 61 Niha El-Mehfara; President and Chief Executive Officer, Stars Group Holding (individual) [SDGT]. -to- AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamad (a.k.a. AL-AMHAZ, Kamel; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Kamel; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamed; a.k.a. AMHAZ, Kamil), 5th Floor, Ghadir Building, Kods Street, Haret Hreik, Baabda, Lebanon; Ghadir, 5th Floor, Safarat, Bir Hassan, Jenah, Lebanon; Ghadir 5th Floor, Embassies Street, Bir Hasan, Lebanon; Dallas Center, Saida Old Street, Chiah, Baabda, Lebanon; DOB 04 Aug 1973; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport RL2244333 (Lebanon); Identification Number 61 Niha El-Mehfara; President and Chief Executive Officer, Stars Group Holding (individual) [SDGT].

AMIGO SUPERMARKET LIMITED (a.k.a. AMIGO SUPERMARKET), 1023, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria [SDGT] (Linked To: FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish; Linked To: FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish). -to- AMIGO SUPERMARKET LIMITED (a.k.a. AMIGO SUPERMARKET), 1023, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish; Linked To: FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish).

AQIL, Ibrahim (a.k.a. AKIEL, Ibrahim Mohamed; a.k.a. AKIL, Ibrahim Mohamed); DOB 24 Dec 1962; alt. DOB 01 Jan 1962; POB Bidnayil, Lebanon (individual) [SYRIA] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- AQIL, Ibrahim (a.k.a. AKIEL, Ibrahim Mohamed; a.k.a. AKIL, Ibrahim Mohamed); DOB 24 Dec 1962; alt. DOB 01 Jan 1962; POB Bidnayil, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SYRIA] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

ATRIS, Hussein (a.k.a. HUSSEIN, Atris); DOB 11 Nov 1964; POB Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- ATRIS, Hussein (a.k.a. HUSSEIN, Atris); DOB 11 Nov 1964; POB Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

ATWA, Ali (a.k.a. BOUSLIM, Ammar Mansour; a.k.a. SALIM, Hassan Rostom), Lebanon; DOB 1960; POB Lebanon; citizen Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- ATWA, Ali (a.k.a. BOUSLIM, Ammar Mansour; a.k.a. SALIM, Hassan Rostom), Lebanon; DOB 1960; POB Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

BADR AL DIN, Mustafa (a.k.a. AL FIQAR, Dhu; a.k.a. BADREDDINE, Mustafa Amine; a.k.a. BADREDDINE, Mustafa Youssef; a.k.a. ISSA, Sami; a.k.a. SAAB, Elias Fouad; a.k.a. SA'B, Ilyas), Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 06 Apr 1961; POB Al-Ghobeiry, Beirut, Lebanon (individual) [SDGT] [SYRIA] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- BADR AL DIN, Mustafa (a.k.a. AL FIQAR, Dhu; a.k.a. BADREDDINE, Mustafa Amine; a.k.a. BADREDDINE, Mustafa Youssef; a.k.a. ISSA, Sami; a.k.a. SAAB, Elias Fouad; a.k.a. SA'B, Ilyas), Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 06 Apr 1961; POB Al-Ghobeiry, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT] [SYRIA] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

BARAKAT IMPORT EXPORT LTDA, Iquique, Chile; Tax ID No. AABA 670850 Y [SDGT]. -to- BARAKAT IMPORT EXPORT LTDA, Iquique, Chile; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Tax ID No. AABA 670850 Y [SDGT].

BARAKAT, Assad Ahmad (a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assaad Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assad Ahmed Muhammad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assad Hassan; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Jach Assad Ahmad; a.k.a. "HAJJ AS'AD AHMAD"), Rue Taroba 1005, Beatriz Menez Building, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Rua Rio Branco Lote 682, Quadra 13, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Rua Xavier Da Silva 535, Edificio Martin Terro, Apartment 301, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Rua Silva Jardim 290, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Arrecife Apartment Building, Iquique, Chile; Apartment 111, Panorama Building, Iquique, Chile; Piribebuy Y A. Jara, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; DOB 25 Mar 1967; POB Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- BARAKAT, Assad Ahmad (a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assaad Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assad Ahmed Muhammad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Assad Hassan; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Jach Assad Ahmad; a.k.a. "HAJJ AS'AD AHMAD"), Rue Taroba 1005, Beatriz Menez Building, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Rua Rio Branco Lote 682, Quadra 13, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Rua Xavier Da Silva 535, Edificio Martin Terro, Apartment 301, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Rua Silva Jardim 290, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Arrecife Apartment Building, Iquique, Chile; Apartment 111, Panorama Building, Iquique, Chile; Piribebuy Y A. Jara, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; DOB 25 Mar 1967; POB Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

BARAKAT, Hatim Ahmad (a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hatam Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hatem Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hattem Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hotem Ahmad); DOB 25 Sep 1961; POB Mousaitbe, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Passport 183319 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 148842 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 106318 (Paraguay); Identification Number 2.194.575 (Paraguay); alt. Identification Number 2.194.975 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- BARAKAT, Hatim Ahmad (a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hatam Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hatem Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hattem Ahmad; a.k.a. BARAKAT, Hotem Ahmad); DOB 25 Sep 1961; POB Mousaitbe, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport 183319 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 148842 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 106318 (Paraguay); Identification Number 2.194.575 (Paraguay); alt. Identification Number 2.194.975 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT].

BARAKAT, Mohammad Fayez; DOB 11 Mar 1969; POB Rubtlatine, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Identification Number 2.121.948 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- BARAKAT, Mohammad Fayez; DOB 11 Mar 1969; POB Rubtlatine, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Identification Number 2.121.948 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT].

BAYT AL-MAL (a.k.a. BAYT AL-MAL LIL MUSLIMEEN), Harat Hurayk, Beirut, Lebanon; Burj al-Barajinah, Lebanon; Sidon, Lebanon; Tyre, Lebanon; Al-Nabatiyah, Lebanon; Ba'albak, Lebanon; Hirmil, Lebanon [SDGT]. -to- BAYT AL-MAL (a.k.a. BAYT AL-MAL LIL MUSLIMEEN), Harat Hurayk, Beirut, Lebanon; Burj al-Barajinah, Lebanon; Sidon, Lebanon; Tyre, Lebanon; Al-Nabatiyah, Lebanon; Ba'albak, Lebanon; Hirmil, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

BIBLOS TRAVEL AGENCY (a.k.a. BIBLIOS TRAVEL; a.k.a. BIBLOS TRAVEL CA; a.k.a. BIBLOS TRAVEL, C.A.), Avenida Baralt, Esquina Maderero, Edificio Santa Isabel II, PB, Loc. 1, Caracas, Venezuela [SDGT]. -to- BIBLOS TRAVEL AGENCY (a.k.a. BIBLIOS TRAVEL; a.k.a. BIBLOS TRAVEL CA; a.k.a. BIBLOS TRAVEL, C.A.), Avenida Baralt, Esquina Maderero, Edificio Santa Isabel II, PB, Loc. 1, Caracas, Venezuela; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

CAR CARE CENTER (a.k.a. CAR CARE CENTER CCC; a.k.a. CAR CARE CENTER COMPANY; a.k.a. "CCC COMPANY"), Hadeth Kafaat, Hadi Nasrallah Highway, Baabda, Lebanon [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- CAR CARE CENTER (a.k.a. CAR CARE CENTER CCC; a.k.a. CAR CARE CENTER COMPANY; a.k.a. "CCC COMPANY"), Hadeth Kafaat, Hadi Nasrallah Highway, Baabda, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

CASA APOLLO, Galeria Page, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay [SDGT]. -to- CASA APOLLO, Galeria Page, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

CHARARA, Ali Youssef (a.k.a. SHARARA, Ali Youssef; a.k.a. SHARARA, 'Ali Yusuf), Ghobeiry Center, Mcharrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon; Verdun 732 Center, 17th Floor, Verdun, Rachid Karameh Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Al-Ahlam, 4th Floor, Embassies Street, Bir Hassan, Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 25 Sep 1968; POB Sidon, Lebanon; Gender Male (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- CHARARA, Ali Youssef (a.k.a. SHARARA, Ali Youssef; a.k.a. SHARARA, 'Ali Yusuf), Ghobeiry Center, Mcharrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon; Verdun 732 Center, 17th Floor, Verdun, Rachid Karameh Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Al-Ahlam, 4th Floor, Embassies Street, Bir Hassan, Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 25 Sep 1968; POB Sidon, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

CHEHADE, Ali Ahmad (a.k.a. CHEADE, Ali; a.k.a. CHEHADE, Abou Hassan Ali; a.k.a. JAWAD, Abou Hassan; a.k.a. JAWAD, Abu Hassan; a.k.a. SHIHADI, Ali), Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire; DOB 05 Jan 1961; POB Ansarie, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; Passport RL0516070 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- CHEHADE, Ali Ahmad (a.k.a. CHEADE, Ali; a.k.a. CHEHADE, Abou Hassan Ali; a.k.a. JAWAD, Abou Hassan; a.k.a. JAWAD, Abu Hassan; a.k.a. SHIHADI, Ali), Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire; DOB 05 Jan 1961; POB Ansarie, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport RL0516070 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT].

CHERRI, Adel Mohamad (a.k.a. CHERRI, Adel Mohammad; a.k.a. SHIRRI, 'Adil), Suite 15A, Mingshang GE Shenganghao Yuan Building, Bao An Nan Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; 1/F, Bei Fang Building, Shennan Zhong Road, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Flat/Room 1610, Nan Fung Tower, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong; Cherri Building, Main Street, Beer Al Salasel, Kherbet Selem, Nabatieh, Lebanon; DOB 03 Oct 1963; POB Beirut, Lebanon; Gender Male; Passport RL2566575 (Lebanon) expires 03 Jul 2018 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- CHERRI, Adel Mohamad (a.k.a. CHERRI, Adel Mohammad; a.k.a. SHIRRI, 'Adil), Suite 15A, Mingshang GE Shenganghao Yuan Building, Bao An Nan Road, Luohu District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; 1/F, Bei Fang Building, Shennan Zhong Road, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Flat/Room 1610, Nan Fung Tower, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong; Cherri Building, Main Street, Beer Al Salasel, Kherbet Selem, Nabatieh, Lebanon; DOB 03 Oct 1963; POB Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Passport RL2566575 (Lebanon) expires 03 Jul 2018 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

FADLALLAH, Shaykh Muhammad Husayn; DOB 1938; alt. DOB 1936; POB Najf Al Ashraf (Najaf), Iraq; Leading Ideological Figure of HIZBALLAH (individual) [SDT]. -to- FADLALLAH, Shaykh Muhammad Husayn; DOB 1938; alt. DOB 1936; POB Najf Al Ashraf (Najaf), Iraq; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Leading Ideological Figure of HIZBALLAH (individual) [SDT].

FARAH, Meliad (a.k.a. "HUSSEIN"; a.k.a. "HUSSEIN, Hussein"); DOB 05 Nov 1980; citizen Australia; alt. citizen Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- FARAH, Meliad (a.k.a. "HUSSEIN"; a.k.a. "HUSSEIN, Hussein"); DOB 05 Nov 1980; citizen Australia; alt. citizen Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

FASTLINK SARL (a.k.a. FAST LINK SAL), Hadi Nasrallah Av, MEAB Building, 1st Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Cendrella Street, Dalas Center, Chyah, Baabda, Lebanon; Dallas, 6th Floor, Saida Old Road, Chiyah, Beirut, Lebanon [SDGT] (Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING). -to- FASTLINK SARL (a.k.a. FAST LINK SAL), Hadi Nasrallah Av, MEAB Building, 1st Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Cendrella Street, Dalas Center, Chyah, Baabda, Lebanon; Dallas, 6th Floor, Saida Old Road, Chiyah, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING).

FA'UR, Husayn Ali (a.k.a. FAOUR, Housein Ali); DOB 1966; POB Al-Khayam, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- FA'UR, Husayn Ali (a.k.a. FAOUR, Housein Ali); DOB 1966; POB Al-Khayam, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

FAWAZ, Abbas Loutfe (a.k.a. FAWWAZ, 'Abbas Abu-Ahmad; a.k.a. FOUAZ, Abbas), Dakar, Senegal; DOB 07 Aug 1978; POB Jwaya, Lebanon; alt. POB Dakar, Senegal; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Senegal; Personal ID Card 096574S (Senegal) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- FAWAZ, Abbas Loutfe (a.k.a. FAWWAZ, 'Abbas Abu-Ahmad; a.k.a. FOUAZ, Abbas), Dakar, Senegal; DOB 07 Aug 1978; POB Jwaya, Lebanon; alt. POB Dakar, Senegal; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Senegal; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Personal ID Card 096574S (Senegal) (individual) [SDGT].

FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish (a.k.a. DARWISH-FAWAZ, Fawzy Reda; a.k.a. DARWISH-FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Fawzi Reda; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Fawzy; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Fowzy; a.k.a. FAWWAZ, Fawzi); DOB 12 Feb 1968; alt. DOB 24 Mar 1973; POB Jwaya, Lebanon; alt. POB Sierra Leone; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Nigeria; alt. citizen Sierra Leone; Passport 0107516 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 0258649 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish (a.k.a. DARWISH-FAWAZ, Fawzy Reda; a.k.a. DARWISH-FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Fawzi Reda; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Fawzy; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Fowzy; a.k.a. FAWWAZ, Fawzi); DOB 12 Feb 1968; alt. DOB 24 Mar 1973; POB Jwaya, Lebanon; alt. POB Sierra Leone; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Nigeria; alt. citizen Sierra Leone; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport 0107516 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 0258649 (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish (a.k.a. DARWISH-FAWAZ, Moustafa Reda; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mostafa Reda Darwich; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Moustapha; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustafa; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustafa Darwish; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustapha; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustapha Rhoda Darwich; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustapha Rida Darwich; a.k.a. FAWWAZ, Mustafa), Flat 4, Blantyre Street, Behind Amigo Supermarket, Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria; 3 Gaya Road, Kano, Nigeria; DOB 25 Jun 1964; alt. DOB 10 Sep 1964; POB Jwaya, Lebanon; alt. POB Koidu Town, Sierra Leone; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Nigeria; alt. citizen Sierra Leone; Gender Male; Passport RL 2101602 (Lebanon); alt. Passport RL 0148105 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 0168459 (Sierra Leone); alt. Passport 0257909 (Sierra Leone); SSN 418-15-2837 (United States) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish (a.k.a. DARWISH-FAWAZ, Moustafa Reda; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mostafa Reda Darwich; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Moustapha; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustafa; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustafa Darwish; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustapha; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustapha Rhoda Darwich; a.k.a. FAWAZ, Mustapha Rida Darwich; a.k.a. FAWWAZ, Mustafa), Flat 4, Blantyre Street, Behind Amigo Supermarket, Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria; 3 Gaya Road, Kano, Nigeria; DOB 25 Jun 1964; alt. DOB 10 Sep 1964; POB Jwaya, Lebanon; alt. POB Koidu Town, Sierra Leone; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Nigeria; alt. citizen Sierra Leone; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Passport RL 2101602 (Lebanon); alt. Passport RL 0148105 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 0168459 (Sierra Leone); alt. Passport 0257909 (Sierra Leone); SSN 418-15-2837 (United States) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

FAYAD, Saleh Mahmoud (a.k.a. FAYYAD, Saleh Mahmud); DOB 20 Oct 1972; POB Al-Taybe, Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- FAYAD, Saleh Mahmoud (a.k.a. FAYYAD, Saleh Mahmud); DOB 20 Oct 1972; POB Al-Taybe, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

FAYAD, Sobhi Mahmoud (a.k.a. FAYAD, Soubi Mamout; a.k.a. FAYADH, Sobhi Mahmoud; a.k.a. FAYYAD, Subhi Mahmud), 315, Piso 3, Galeria Page, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; DOB 20 Aug 1965; POB Al-Taybe, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Passport 1035562 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 220705 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 189103 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 142517 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 002301585 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- FAYAD, Sobhi Mahmoud (a.k.a. FAYAD, Soubi Mamout; a.k.a. FAYADH, Sobhi Mahmoud; a.k.a. FAYYAD, Subhi Mahmud), 315, Piso 3, Galeria Page, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; DOB 20 Aug 1965; POB Al-Taybe, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport 1035562 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 220705 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 189103 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 142517 (Paraguay); alt. Passport 002301585 (Paraguay) (individual) [SDGT].

GALERIA PAGE (a.k.a. GALERIA PAGE I), 899 Calle Regimento Pirebebuy, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay [SDGT]. -to- GALERIA PAGE (a.k.a. GALERIA PAGE I), 899 Calle Regimento Pirebebuy, Ciudad del Este, Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

GOODWILL CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION, INC. (f.k.a. AL-SHAHID SOCIAL ASSOCIATION; f.k.a. EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION), 13106 Warren Ave. Suite #4, Dearborn, MI 48126, United States; PO Box 1794 , Dearborn, MI 48126, United States [SDGT]. -to- GOODWILL CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION, INC. (f.k.a. AL-SHAHID SOCIAL ASSOCIATION; f.k.a. EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION), 13106 Warren Ave. Suite #4, Dearborn, MI 48126, United States; PO Box 1794 , Dearborn, MI 48126, United States; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

HAMIYAH, Talal (a.k.a. HAMIYAH, Talal Husni; a.k.a. MEZERANI, Ismat); DOB 27 Nov 1952; alt. DOB 18 Mar 1960; alt. DOB 05 Mar 1958; alt. DOB 08 Dec 1958; POB Tarayya, Lebanon; alt. POB Sojad, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; citizen Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- HAMIYAH, Talal (a.k.a. HAMIYAH, Talal Husni; a.k.a. MEZERANI, Ismat); DOB 27 Nov 1952; alt. DOB 18 Mar 1960; alt. DOB 05 Mar 1958; alt. DOB 08 Dec 1958; POB Tarayya, Lebanon; alt. POB Sojad, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

HARB, Khalil Yusif (a.k.a. AHMAD, Sayyid; a.k.a. HARB, Hajj Ya'taqad Khalil; a.k.a. HARB, Khalil Yusuf; a.k.a. HARB, Mustafa Khalil; a.k.a. MUSTAFA, Abu); DOB 09 Oct 1958 (individual) [SDGT]. -to- HARB, Khalil Yusif (a.k.a. AHMAD, Sayyid; a.k.a. HARB, Hajj Ya'taqad Khalil; a.k.a. HARB, Khalil Yusuf; a.k.a. HARB, Mustafa Khalil; a.k.a. MUSTAFA, Abu); DOB 09 Oct 1958; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

HASSAN, Hassan el-Hajj (a.k.a. HASSAN, Hassan El Hajj); DOB 22 Mar 1988; citizen Canada; alt. citizen Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- HASSAN, Hassan el-Hajj (a.k.a. HASSAN, Hassan El Hajj); DOB 22 Mar 1988; citizen Canada; alt. citizen Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

HILAL TRAVEL AGENCY (a.k.a. HILAL TRAVEL C.A.; a.k.a. KANAAN TRAVEL), Avenida Baralt, Esquina Maderero, Edificio Santa Isabel, Caracas, Venezuela; Avenida Baralt , Esquina Maderero, Edificio Santa Isabel, PB, Local 1, Caracas, Venezuela; Business Registration Document # 80074366 (Venezuela) [SDGT]. -to- HILAL TRAVEL AGENCY (a.k.a. HILAL TRAVEL C.A.; a.k.a. KANAAN TRAVEL), Avenida Baralt, Esquina Maderero, Edificio Santa Isabel, Caracas, Venezuela; Avenida Baralt , Esquina Maderero, Edificio Santa Isabel, PB, Local 1, Caracas, Venezuela; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Business Registration Document # 80074366 (Venezuela) [SDGT].

HIZBALLAH (a.k.a. ANSAR ALLAH; a.k.a. FOLLOWERS OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMED; a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD; a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE; a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF RIGHT AGAINST WRONG; a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF THE OPPRESSED ON EARTH; a.k.a. PARTY OF GOD; a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY JUSTICE ORGANIZATION) [FTO] [SDGT] [SDT] [SYRIA]. -to- HIZBALLAH (a.k.a. ANSAR ALLAH; a.k.a. FOLLOWERS OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMED; a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD; a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE; a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF RIGHT AGAINST WRONG; a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF THE OPPRESSED ON EARTH; a.k.a. PARTY OF GOD; a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY JUSTICE ORGANIZATION); Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [FTO] [SDGT] [SDT] [SYRIA].

IBRAHIM, Ayman (a.k.a. IBRAHIM, Ayman Ahmad); DOB 01 Apr 1979; POB 'Adlun, Lebanon; General Manager, Unique Stars Mobile Phones LLC (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: UNIQUE STARS MOBILE PHONES LLC). -to- IBRAHIM, Ayman (a.k.a. IBRAHIM, Ayman Ahmad); DOB 01 Apr 1979; POB 'Adlun, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; General Manager, Unique Stars Mobile Phones LLC (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: UNIQUE STARS MOBILE PHONES LLC).

IMAM KHOMEINI RELIEF COMMITTEE (LEBANON BRANCH) (a.k.a. COMITE ISLAMIQUE DAIDES ET DE BIEM LIBAN; a.k.a. EMDAD ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION; a.k.a. EMDAD COMMITTEE FOR ISLAMIC CHARITY; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI EMDAD COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI FOUNDATION; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI IMDAD COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI RELIEF ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI SUPPORT COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINY AID COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMDAD ASSOCIATION OF THE ISLAMIC PHILANTHROPIC COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMDAD COMMITTEE FOR ISLAMIC CHARITY; a.k.a. IMDAD ISLAMIC ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE FOR CHARITY; a.k.a. ISLAMIC CHARITY EMDAD; a.k.a. ISLAMIC CHARITY EMDAD COMMITTEE; a.k.a. ISLAMIC EMDAD CHARITABLE COMMITTEE; a.k.a. KHOMEINI CHARITABLE FOUNDATION; a.k.a. KHOMEINI SOCIAL HELP COMMITTEE; a.k.a. KOMITE EMDAD EMAM; a.k.a. "AL-IMDAD"), P.O. Box 25-211 Beirut AiRabi' Building, 2nd Floor,, Mokdad Street, Haret Hreik, Beirut, Lebanon; P.O. Box 25/221 El Ghobeiry, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions [SDGT] [IFSR]. -to- IMAM KHOMEINI RELIEF COMMITTEE (LEBANON BRANCH) (a.k.a. COMITE ISLAMIQUE DAIDES ET DE BIEM LIBAN; a.k.a. EMDAD ASSISTANCE FOUNDATION; a.k.a. EMDAD COMMITTEE FOR ISLAMIC CHARITY; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI EMDAD COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI FOUNDATION; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI IMDAD COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI RELIEF ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINI SUPPORT COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMAM KHOMEINY AID COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMDAD ASSOCIATION OF THE ISLAMIC PHILANTHROPIC COMMITTEE; a.k.a. IMDAD COMMITTEE FOR ISLAMIC CHARITY; a.k.a. IMDAD ISLAMIC ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE FOR CHARITY; a.k.a. ISLAMIC CHARITY EMDAD; a.k.a. ISLAMIC CHARITY EMDAD COMMITTEE; a.k.a. ISLAMIC EMDAD CHARITABLE COMMITTEE; a.k.a. KHOMEINI CHARITABLE FOUNDATION; a.k.a. KHOMEINI SOCIAL HELP COMMITTEE; a.k.a. KOMITE EMDAD EMAM; a.k.a. "AL-IMDAD"), P.O. Box 25-211 Beirut AiRabi' Building, 2nd Floor,, Mokdad Street, Haret Hreik, Beirut, Lebanon; P.O. Box 25/221 El Ghobeiry, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions; alt. Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] [IFSR].

ISLAMIC RESISTANCE SUPPORT ORGANIZATION (a.k.a. HAYAT AL-DAM LIL-MUQAWAMA AL-ISLAMIYA; a.k.a. ISLAMIC RESISTANCE SUPPORT ASSOCIATION), Beirut, Lebanon [SDGT]. -to- ISLAMIC RESISTANCE SUPPORT ORGANIZATION (a.k.a. HAYAT AL-DAM LIL-MUQAWAMA AL-ISLAMIYA; a.k.a. ISLAMIC RESISTANCE SUPPORT ASSOCIATION), Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

IZZ-AL-DIN, Hasan (a.k.a. SALWWAN, Samir; a.k.a. "GARBAYA, AHMED"; a.k.a. "SA-ID"), Lebanon; DOB 1963; POB Lebanon; citizen Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- IZZ-AL-DIN, Hasan (a.k.a. SALWWAN, Samir; a.k.a. "GARBAYA, AHMED"; a.k.a. "SA-ID"), Lebanon; DOB 1963; POB Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

JIHAD AL-BINA (a.k.a. CONSTRUCTION FOR THE SAKE OF THE HOLY STRUGGLE; a.k.a. CONSTRUCTION JIHAD; a.k.a. HOLY CONSTRUCTION FOUNDATION; a.k.a. JIHAD AL BINAA; a.k.a. JIHAD CONSTRUCTION; a.k.a. JIHAD CONSTRUCTION FOUNDATION; a.k.a. JIHAD CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTION; a.k.a. JIHAD-AL-BINAA ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. JIHADU-I-BINAA; a.k.a. STRUGGLE FOR RECONSTRUCTION), Beirut, Lebanon; Bekaa Valley, Lebanon; Southern Lebanon, Lebanon [SDGT]. -to- JIHAD AL-BINA (a.k.a. CONSTRUCTION FOR THE SAKE OF THE HOLY STRUGGLE; a.k.a. CONSTRUCTION JIHAD; a.k.a. HOLY CONSTRUCTION FOUNDATION; a.k.a. JIHAD AL BINAA; a.k.a. JIHAD CONSTRUCTION; a.k.a. JIHAD CONSTRUCTION FOUNDATION; a.k.a. JIHAD CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTION; a.k.a. JIHAD-AL-BINAA ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. JIHADU-I-BINAA; a.k.a. STRUGGLE FOR RECONSTRUCTION), Beirut, Lebanon; Bekaa Valley, Lebanon; Southern Lebanon, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

KAFAK ENTERPRISES LIMITED, 88B, T/Balewa Road, Kano State, Nigeria; Sierra Leone [SDGT] (Linked To: FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish; Linked To: FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish). -to- KAFAK ENTERPRISES LIMITED, 88B, T/Balewa Road, Kano State, Nigeria; Sierra Leone; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish; Linked To: FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish).

KAIRABA SUPERMARKET (a.k.a. KAIRABA SHOPPING CENTER), Kairaba Ave, P.O. Box 2176, Banjul, The Gambia; 62 Buckle Street, Banjul, The Gambia; Pipeline Road, Banjul, The Gambia [SDGT]. -to- KAIRABA SUPERMARKET (a.k.a. KAIRABA SHOPPING CENTER), Kairaba Ave, P.O. Box 2176, Banjul, The Gambia; 62 Buckle Street, Banjul, The Gambia; Pipeline Road, Banjul, The Gambia; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

KAN'AN, Fawzi Mustafa (a.k.a. CANAAN, Fazi; a.k.a. CAN'AN, Faouzi; a.k.a. GANAN, Fauzi; a.k.a. KANAAN, Fauzi; a.k.a. KANAAN, Maustaf Fawzi (Faouzi); a.k.a. KAN'AN, Fawzi; a.k.a. KANAN, Fouzi), Calle 2, Residencias Cosmos, Fifth Floor, Apartment 5D, La Urbina, Caracas, Venezuela; Esquina Bucare, Building 703, Second Floor, Apartment 20, Caracas, Venezuela; DOB 07 Jun 1943; alt. DOB Feb 1943; alt. DOB 01 Jun 1943; POB Lebanon; alt. POB Betechelida, Lebanon; alt. POB Baalbeck, Lebanon; Passport 0877677 (Venezuela); National ID No. V-6.919.272 (Venezuela) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- KAN'AN, Fawzi Mustafa (a.k.a. CANAAN, Fazi; a.k.a. CAN'AN, Faouzi; a.k.a. GANAN, Fauzi; a.k.a. KANAAN, Fauzi; a.k.a. KANAAN, Maustaf Fawzi (Faouzi); a.k.a. KAN'AN, Fawzi; a.k.a. KANAN, Fouzi), Calle 2, Residencias Cosmos, Fifth Floor, Apartment 5D, La Urbina, Caracas, Venezuela; Esquina Bucare, Building 703, Second Floor, Apartment 20, Caracas, Venezuela; DOB 07 Jun 1943; alt. DOB Feb 1943; alt. DOB 01 Jun 1943; POB Lebanon; alt. POB Betechelida, Lebanon; alt. POB Baalbeck, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport 0877677 (Venezuela); National ID No. V-6.919.272 (Venezuela) (individual) [SDGT].

KAWTHARANI, Muhammad (a.k.a. AL-KAWTHARANI, Jafar; a.k.a. AL-KAWTHARANI, Muhammad; a.k.a. KAWTARANI, Muhammad; a.k.a. KAWTHARANI, Mohammad); DOB 1945; alt. DOB 1959; alt. DOB 1961; POB Najaf, Iraq; nationality Lebanon; alt. nationality Iraq (individual) [SDGT]. -to- KAWTHARANI, Muhammad (a.k.a. AL-KAWTHARANI, Jafar; a.k.a. AL-KAWTHARANI, Muhammad; a.k.a. KAWTARANI, Muhammad; a.k.a. KAWTHARANI, Mohammad); DOB 1945; alt. DOB 1959; alt. DOB 1961; POB Najaf, Iraq; nationality Lebanon; alt. nationality Iraq; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

KAZAN, Ali Muhammad (a.k.a. KASSAN, Ali Mohamad; a.k.a. QAZAN, Ali Mohamad), Avenue Taroba, 1005 Edificio Beatriz Mendes, Apt 1704, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 19 Dec 1967; POB Taibe, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Passport 0089044 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- KAZAN, Ali Muhammad (a.k.a. KASSAN, Ali Mohamad; a.k.a. QAZAN, Ali Mohamad), Avenue Taroba, 1005 Edificio Beatriz Mendes, Apt 1704, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 19 Dec 1967; POB Taibe, Lebanon; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport 0089044 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT].

KHALIFEH, Hanna Elias (a.k.a. KHALIFAH, Hanna; a.k.a. KHALIFE, Hanna), Midan Street, Mazraat Yachouh, Metn, Lebanon; Asaad Karam Building, Midan Street, Mazraat Yachouh, Lebanon; DOB 09 Jul 1955; nationality Lebanon; Passport RL2033216 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- KHALIFEH, Hanna Elias (a.k.a. KHALIFAH, Hanna; a.k.a. KHALIFE, Hanna), Midan Street, Mazraat Yachouh, Metn, Lebanon; Asaad Karam Building, Midan Street, Mazraat Yachouh, Lebanon; DOB 09 Jul 1955; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport RL2033216 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT].

KHANAFER, Hicham Nmer (a.k.a. KANAFER, Hicham; a.k.a. KANAFER, Hisham; a.k.a. KHANAFAR, Hisham; a.k.a. KHANAFIR, Hisham); DOB 23 May 1965; POB Ainata, Lebanon; alt. POB Kuntair, The Gambia; nationality Lebanon; alt. nationality The Gambia; Passport 1617889 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- KHANAFER, Hicham Nmer (a.k.a. KANAFER, Hicham; a.k.a. KANAFER, Hisham; a.k.a. KHANAFAR, Hisham; a.k.a. KHANAFIR, Hisham); DOB 23 May 1965; POB Ainata, Lebanon; alt. POB Kuntair, The Gambia; nationality Lebanon; alt. nationality The Gambia; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport 1617889 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT].

KUNTAR, Samir (a.k.a. AL-KUNTAR, Samir; a.k.a. CANTAR, Samir; a.k.a. KANTAR, Sameer; a.k.a. KINTAR, Samir; a.k.a. QANTAR, Samir; a.k.a. QINTAR, Samir; a.k.a. QUNTAR, Samir); DOB 20 Jul 1962; alt. DOB 1961; POB Lebanon (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- KUNTAR, Samir (a.k.a. AL-KUNTAR, Samir; a.k.a. CANTAR, Samir; a.k.a. KANTAR, Sameer; a.k.a. KINTAR, Samir; a.k.a. QANTAR, Samir; a.k.a. QINTAR, Samir; a.k.a. QUNTAR, Samir); DOB 20 Jul 1962; alt. DOB 1961; POB Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

LABICO SAL OFFSHORE (a.k.a. LABICO SAL (OFF SHORE)), Bou Ghannam Building, Azhar Street, Kobbe Doha, Aramoun, Aaley, Lebanon; Labico Building, Azhar Street, Aramoun, Aaley, Lebanon [SDGT] (Linked To: ZEAITER, Ali). -to- LABICO SAL OFFSHORE (a.k.a. LABICO SAL (OFF SHORE)), Bou Ghannam Building, Azhar Street, Kobbe Doha, Aramoun, Aaley, Lebanon; Labico Building, Azhar Street, Aramoun, Aaley, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: ZEAITER, Ali).

LEBANESE MEDIA GROUP (a.k.a. LEBANESE COMMUNICATION GROUP), Al Manar Building, Ahmad Kassir Street, Haret Hriek, Baabda, Lebanon; Abed Al Nour Street, Haret Hriek, PO Box 354/25, Beirut, Lebanon; Company ID: No. 59 531 at Commercial Registry of the Civil Court of First Instance at Baabda, Lebanon [SDGT]. -to- LEBANESE MEDIA GROUP (a.k.a. LEBANESE COMMUNICATION GROUP), Al Manar Building, Ahmad Kassir Street, Haret Hriek, Baabda, Lebanon; Abed Al Nour Street, Haret Hriek, PO Box 354/25, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Company ID: No. 59 531 at Commercial Registry of the Civil Court of First Instance at Baabda, Lebanon [SDGT].

LE-HUA ELECTRONIC FIELD CO. LIMITED (a.k.a. LE-HUA ELEC F CO. LTD), Room B, 5/F, Building 2, Guilong Jiayuan Gui Yuan North Road, Guiyuan Neighborhood St Office, Luohu District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; 15th Floor, Ming Shang Ge Building, Bao'an Street, Luo Hu Area, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Flat/Room 1610, Nan Fung Tower, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong [SDGT] (Linked To: CHERRI, Adel Mohamad). -to- LE-HUA ELECTRONIC FIELD CO. LIMITED (a.k.a. LE-HUA ELEC F CO. LTD), Room B, 5/F, Building 2, Guilong Jiayuan Gui Yuan North Road, Guiyuan Neighborhood St Office, Luohu District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; 15th Floor, Ming Shang Ge Building, Bao'an Street, Luo Hu Area, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Flat/Room 1610, Nan Fung Tower, 173 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: CHERRI, Adel Mohamad).

MANSUR, Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad (a.k.a. HALAWI, Hani; a.k.a. MANSOUR, Mohammad Yousef; a.k.a. MANSOUR, Mohammad Youssef; a.k.a. MANSUR, Mohammad Yusuf Ahmad; a.k.a. MANSUR, Muhammad Yusif Ahmad; a.k.a. SHEHAB, Sami; a.k.a. SHIHAB, Sami Hani; a.k.a. "HILLAWI, Jamal Hani"; a.k.a. "SAMI, Salem Bassem"; a.k.a. "SHIHAB, Muhammad Yusuf Mansur Sami"), Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 14 Sep 1970; alt. DOB 01 Jan 1974; alt. DOB 1980; POB Bint Jubayl, Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- MANSUR, Muhammad Yusuf Ahmad (a.k.a. HALAWI, Hani; a.k.a. MANSOUR, Mohammad Yousef; a.k.a. MANSOUR, Mohammad Youssef; a.k.a. MANSUR, Mohammad Yusuf Ahmad; a.k.a. MANSUR, Muhammad Yusif Ahmad; a.k.a. SHEHAB, Sami; a.k.a. SHIHAB, Sami Hani; a.k.a. "HILLAWI, Jamal Hani"; a.k.a. "SAMI, Salem Bassem"; a.k.a. "SHIHAB, Muhammad Yusuf Mansur Sami"), Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 14 Sep 1970; alt. DOB 01 Jan 1974; alt. DOB 1980; POB Bint Jubayl, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

MARTYRS FOUNDATION (a.k.a. AL-SHAHID ASSOCIATION FOR MARTYRS AND INTERNEES FAMILIES; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID CORPORATION; a.k.a. BONYAD SHAHID; a.k.a. BONYAD-E SHAHID; a.k.a. BONYAD-E SHAHID VA ISARGARAN; a.k.a. ES-SHAHID; a.k.a. IRANIAN MARTYRS FUND; a.k.a. SHAHID FOUNDATION; a.k.a. SHAHID FOUNDATION OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION), P.O. Box 15815-1394, Tehran 15900, Iran; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions [SDGT] [IFSR]. -to- MARTYRS FOUNDATION (a.k.a. AL-SHAHID ASSOCIATION FOR MARTYRS AND INTERNEES FAMILIES; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID CORPORATION; a.k.a. BONYAD SHAHID; a.k.a. BONYAD-E SHAHID; a.k.a. BONYAD-E SHAHID VA ISARGARAN; a.k.a. ES-SHAHID; a.k.a. IRANIAN MARTYRS FUND; a.k.a. SHAHID FOUNDATION; a.k.a. SHAHID FOUNDATION OF THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION), P.O. Box 15815-1394, Tehran 15900, Iran; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions; alt. Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] [IFSR].

MARTYRS FOUNDATION IN LEBANON (a.k.a. AL-MUA'ASSAT AL-SHAHID; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID CHARITABLE AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID FOUNDATION; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. HIZBALLAH MARTYRS FOUNDATION; a.k.a. ISLAMIC REVOLUTION MARTYRS FOUNDATION; a.k.a. LEBANESE MARTYR ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. LEBANESE MARTYR FOUNDATION; a.k.a. MARTYRS INSTITUTE), P.O. Box 110 24, Bir al-Abed, Beirut, Lebanon; Biqa' Valley, Lebanon [SDGT]. -to- MARTYRS FOUNDATION IN LEBANON (a.k.a. AL-MUA'ASSAT AL-SHAHID; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID CHARITABLE AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID FOUNDATION; a.k.a. AL-SHAHID ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. HIZBALLAH MARTYRS FOUNDATION; a.k.a. ISLAMIC REVOLUTION MARTYRS FOUNDATION; a.k.a. LEBANESE MARTYR ASSOCIATION; a.k.a. LEBANESE MARTYR FOUNDATION; a.k.a. MARTYRS INSTITUTE), P.O. Box 110 24, Bir al-Abed, Beirut, Lebanon; Biqa' Valley, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

NASR AL DIN, Ghazi (a.k.a. NASR AL-DIN, Hajj Ghazi 'Atif; a.k.a. NASR EL DIN GHASSAN, Ghassan; a.k.a. NASRALDINE, Ghazi 'Atef; a.k.a. NASSER AL-DIN, Ghazil; a.k.a. NASSER EL-DIN, Gazi; a.k.a. NASSERDDINE, Ghassan Attef Salame; a.k.a. NASSERDDINE, Ghazi; a.k.a. NASSERDINE GHASAN, Atef Salameh; a.k.a. NASSEREDDINE, Ghazi; a.k.a. NASSEREDDINE, Haj Ghazzi; a.k.a. NASSEREDINE, Haj Ghazi; a.k.a. NASSERIDINE, Gazi); DOB 13 Dec 1962; POB Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- NASR AL DIN, Ghazi (a.k.a. NASR AL-DIN, Hajj Ghazi 'Atif; a.k.a. NASR EL DIN GHASSAN, Ghassan; a.k.a. NASRALDINE, Ghazi 'Atef; a.k.a. NASSER AL-DIN, Ghazil; a.k.a. NASSER EL-DIN, Gazi; a.k.a. NASSERDDINE, Ghassan Attef Salame; a.k.a. NASSERDDINE, Ghazi; a.k.a. NASSERDINE GHASAN, Atef Salameh; a.k.a. NASSEREDDINE, Ghazi; a.k.a. NASSEREDDINE, Haj Ghazzi; a.k.a. NASSEREDINE, Haj Ghazi; a.k.a. NASSERIDINE, Gazi); DOB 13 Dec 1962; POB Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

NASRALLAH, Hasan (a.k.a. NASRALLAH, Hasan Abd-al-Karim); DOB 31 Aug 1960; alt. DOB 31 Aug 1953; alt. DOB 31 Aug 1955; alt. DOB 31 Aug 1958; POB Al Basuriyah, Lebanon; Passport 042833 (Lebanon); Secretary General of HIZBALLAH (individual) [SDT] [SYRIA]. -to- NASRALLAH, Hasan (a.k.a. NASRALLAH, Hasan Abd-al-Karim); DOB 31 Aug 1960; alt. DOB 31 Aug 1953; alt. DOB 31 Aug 1955; alt. DOB 31 Aug 1958; POB Al Basuriyah, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport 042833 (Lebanon); Secretary General of HIZBALLAH (individual) [SDT] [SYRIA].

NOUREDDINE, Mohamad (a.k.a. NUR-AL-DIN, Muhammad Mustafa); DOB 23 Oct 1974; POB Beirut, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Passport RL0629138 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- NOUREDDINE, Mohamad (a.k.a. NUR-AL-DIN, Muhammad Mustafa); DOB 23 Oct 1974; POB Beirut, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Passport RL0629138 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

OMAIRI, Farouk (a.k.a. AL-OMAIRI, Faruk; a.k.a. AL-UMAYRI, Faruz; a.k.a. OMAIRI, Farouk Abdul Haj; a.k.a. UMAIRI, Faruq), 605 Avenida Brasil, Apt No. 48, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 06 Dec 1945; POB Hermel, Lebanon; citizen Brazil (individual) [SDGT]. -to- OMAIRI, Farouk (a.k.a. AL-OMAIRI, Faruk; a.k.a. AL-UMAYRI, Faruz; a.k.a. OMAIRI, Farouk Abdul Haj; a.k.a. UMAIRI, Faruq), 605 Avenida Brasil, Apt No. 48, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 06 Dec 1945; POB Hermel, Lebanon; citizen Brazil; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

QABALAN, Muhammad (a.k.a. QABLAN, Muhammad; a.k.a. "AL-GHUL, Hassan"), Southern Suburbs, Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 1969; citizen Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- QABALAN, Muhammad (a.k.a. QABLAN, Muhammad; a.k.a. "AL-GHUL, Hassan"), Southern Suburbs, Beirut, Lebanon; DOB 1969; citizen Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

QASIM, Mohammed (a.k.a. QASIM, Muhammad), Waish, Spin Boldak, Afghanistan; Safaar Bazaar, Garmsir, Afghanistan; Room 33, 5th Floor Sarafi Market, Kandahar, Afghanistan; Bypass Road, Chaman, Qalaye Abdullah District, Pakistan; Qalaye Haji Ali Akbar Dalbandin Post Office, Chaghey District, Pakistan; Karez Qaran, Musa Qal'ah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan; DOB 1976; alt. DOB 1965; POB Pakistan; citizen Pakistan; Passport AP4858551 (Pakistan) issued 24 May 2008 expires 23 May 2013; National ID No. 54101-9435855-3 (Pakistan); alt. National ID No. 57388 (Afghanistan) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- QASIM, Mohammed (a.k.a. QASIM, Muhammad), Waish, Spin Boldak, Afghanistan; Safaar Bazaar, Garmsir, Afghanistan; Room 33, 5th Floor Sarafi Market, Kandahar, Afghanistan; Bypass Road, Chaman, Qalaye Abdullah District, Pakistan; Qalaye Haji Ali Akbar Dalbandin Post Office, Chaghey District, Pakistan; Karez Qaran, Musa Qal'ah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan; DOB 1976; alt. DOB 1965; POB Pakistan; citizen Pakistan; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport AP4858551 (Pakistan) issued 24 May 2008 expires 23 May 2013; National ID No. 54101-9435855-3 (Pakistan); alt. National ID No. 57388 (Afghanistan) (individual) [SDGT].

SALEH, Ali Mohamad (a.k.a. SALAH, Ali Mohammad; a.k.a. SALEH, Ali Mohamed; a.k.a. SALEH, Ali Mohammad; a.k.a. SALIH, Ali Abd-Al-Amir Muhammad; a.k.a. SALIH, Ali Muhammad; a.k.a. SALIH, Ali Muhammad Abd-Al-Amir); DOB 01 Jan 1974; POB Adchit, Lebanon; Cedula No. 1124006380 (Colombia); Passport AJ911608 (Colombia); alt. Passport 2071362 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 1183967 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDNTK] [SDGT] (Linked To: ALMACEN BATUL; Linked To: COMERCIAL ESTILO Y MODA). -to- SALEH, Ali Mohamad (a.k.a. SALAH, Ali Mohammad; a.k.a. SALEH, Ali Mohamed; a.k.a. SALEH, Ali Mohammad; a.k.a. SALIH, Ali Abd-Al-Amir Muhammad; a.k.a. SALIH, Ali Muhammad; a.k.a. SALIH, Ali Muhammad Abd-Al-Amir); DOB 01 Jan 1974; POB Adchit, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Cedula No. 1124006380 (Colombia); Passport AJ911608 (Colombia); alt. Passport 2071362 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 1183967 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDNTK] [SDGT] (Linked To: ALMACEN BATUL; Linked To: COMERCIAL ESTILO Y MODA).

SERHAN, Fadi Hussein (a.k.a. SARHAN, Fadi Husayn; a.k.a. SIRHAN, Fadi), Own Building, Kanisat Marmkhael, Saliba Street, Corniche, Al-Mazraa, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Mazraa Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Mseytbi Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Salim Slam Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jishi Building, Salim Slam Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Own Building, Main Street, Kfar Kila, Lebanon; DOB 01 Apr 1961; POB Kafr Kila, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Passport RL0962973 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- SERHAN, Fadi Hussein (a.k.a. SARHAN, Fadi Husayn; a.k.a. SIRHAN, Fadi), Own Building, Kanisat Marmkhael, Saliba Street, Corniche, Al-Mazraa, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Mazraa Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Mseytbi Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Salim Slam Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jishi Building, Salim Slam Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Own Building, Main Street, Kfar Kila, Lebanon; DOB 01 Apr 1961; POB Kafr Kila, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Passport RL0962973 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

SHALAN, Abd Al Nur (a.k.a. CHAALAN, Abdul Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHAALAN, Abdul Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHALAN, Abd Al Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHA'LAN, Abdul Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHALAN, Abdul-Nur Ali); DOB 17 May 1964; alt. DOB 1961; POB Baabda, Lebanon (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- SHALAN, Abd Al Nur (a.k.a. CHAALAN, Abdul Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHAALAN, Abdul Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHALAN, Abd Al Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHA'LAN, Abdul Nur Ali; a.k.a. SHALAN, Abdul-Nur Ali); DOB 17 May 1964; alt. DOB 1961; POB Baabda, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

SHUKR, Fu'ad (a.k.a. CHAKAR, Fu'ad; a.k.a. "CHAKAR, Al-Hajj Mohsin"), Harat Hurayk, Lebanon; Ozai, Lebanon; Al-Firdaws Building, Al-'Arid Street, Haret Hreik, Lebanon; DOB 1962; POB An Nabi Shit, Ba'labakk, Biqa' Valley, Lebanon; alt. POB Beirut, Lebanon (individual) [SYRIA] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- SHUKR, Fu'ad (a.k.a. CHAKAR, Fu'ad; a.k.a. "CHAKAR, Al-Hajj Mohsin"), Harat Hurayk, Lebanon; Ozai, Lebanon; Al-Firdaws Building, Al-'Arid Street, Haret Hreik, Lebanon; DOB 1962; POB An Nabi Shit, Ba'labakk, Biqa' Valley, Lebanon; alt. POB Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SYRIA] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

SPECTRUM INVESTMENT GROUP HOLDING SAL (a.k.a. SPECTRUM INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT HOLDING SAL; a.k.a. SPECTRUM INVESTMENT GROUP HOLDING; a.k.a. SPECTRUM INVESTMENT GROUP SAL HOLDING; a.k.a. SPECTRUM INVESTMENT HOLDING; a.k.a. "SPECTRUM HOLDING"), Floor 17, Verdun 732 Building, Rachid Karameh Street, Verdun, Beirut, Lebanon; Verdun 732 Center, Rachid Karame Street, Beirut, Lebanon; P.O. Box 113-5333, Beirut, Lebanon; Business Registration Document # 1990106 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: CHARARA, Ali Youssef). -to- SPECTRUM INVESTMENT GROUP HOLDING SAL (a.k.a. SPECTRUM INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT HOLDING SAL; a.k.a. SPECTRUM INVESTMENT GROUP HOLDING; a.k.a. SPECTRUM INVESTMENT GROUP SAL HOLDING; a.k.a. SPECTRUM INVESTMENT HOLDING; a.k.a. "SPECTRUM HOLDING"), Floor 17, Verdun 732 Building, Rachid Karameh Street, Verdun, Beirut, Lebanon; Verdun 732 Center, Rachid Karame Street, Beirut, Lebanon; P.O. Box 113-5333, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Business Registration Document # 1990106 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: CHARARA, Ali Youssef).

STARS COMMUNICATIONS LTD (a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS; a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS LLC; a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS LTD SARL), Hadi Nasrallah Av, MEAB Building, 1st Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Bir el Abed, Snoubra Street, Haret Hreyk, Beirut, Lebanon; Tayyouneh, Haret Hreyk, Beirut, Lebanon; Port, Nahr, Beirut, Lebanon; Ras El Ain, Baalbeck, Lebanon; Hadeth, Lebanon; Nabatiyeh, Lebanon; Old Saida Road, Beirut Mall, Beirut, Lebanon; Duty-Free Airport, Rafik Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon; Sharl Helo Street, Beirut Seaport, Lebanon; Kamil Shamoun Street, Dekwaneh, Beirut, Lebanon; Hermel, Lebanon; Commercial Registry Number 2001929 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamad; Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING). -to- STARS COMMUNICATIONS LTD (a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS; a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS LLC; a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS LTD SARL), Hadi Nasrallah Av, MEAB Building, 1st Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Bir el Abed, Snoubra Street, Haret Hreyk, Beirut, Lebanon; Tayyouneh, Haret Hreyk, Beirut, Lebanon; Port, Nahr, Beirut, Lebanon; Ras El Ain, Baalbeck, Lebanon; Hadeth, Lebanon; Nabatiyeh, Lebanon; Old Saida Road, Beirut Mall, Beirut, Lebanon; Duty-Free Airport, Rafik Hariri International Airport, Beirut, Lebanon; Sharl Helo Street, Beirut Seaport, Lebanon; Kamil Shamoun Street, Dekwaneh, Beirut, Lebanon; Hermel, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Commercial Registry Number 2001929 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamad; Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING).

STARS COMMUNICATIONS OFFSHORE SAL (a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATION SAL OFF-SHORE; a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS OFFSHORE; a.k.a. STARS OFFSHORE), Hojeij Building, 2nd Floor, Zaghloul Street, Haret Hreik, Baabda, Lebanon; Bdeir Building, Ground Floor, Snoubra Street, Ghobeiry, Baabda, Lebanon; Hadi Nasrallah Av, MEAB Building, 1st Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Commercial Registry Number 1801374 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING). -to- STARS COMMUNICATIONS OFFSHORE SAL (a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATION SAL OFF-SHORE; a.k.a. STARS COMMUNICATIONS OFFSHORE; a.k.a. STARS OFFSHORE), Hojeij Building, 2nd Floor, Zaghloul Street, Haret Hreik, Baabda, Lebanon; Bdeir Building, Ground Floor, Snoubra Street, Ghobeiry, Baabda, Lebanon; Hadi Nasrallah Av, MEAB Building, 1st Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Commercial Registry Number 1801374 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING).

STARS GROUP HOLDING (a.k.a. STARS GROUP HOLDING SAL; a.k.a. STARS GROUP SAL (HOLDING)), Property Number 5208/62, Issam Mohamed Amha, 6th Floor, Dallas Center, Old Saida Road, C, Lebanon; Postal Box 13-5483, Lebanon; Bdeir Building, Snoubra Street, Bir El-Abed Area, Haret Hreik, Baabda, Lebanon; Bir El Abed, Hadi Nasrallah Highway, Middle East & Africa Bank Building, First Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Old Saida Road, Dallas Center, 6th Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Website www.starscom.net; Commercial Registry Number 1901453 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamad). -to- STARS GROUP HOLDING (a.k.a. STARS GROUP HOLDING SAL; a.k.a. STARS GROUP SAL (HOLDING)), Property Number 5208/62, Issam Mohamed Amha, 6th Floor, Dallas Center, Old Saida Road, C, Lebanon; Postal Box 13-5483, Lebanon; Bdeir Building, Snoubra Street, Bir El-Abed Area, Haret Hreik, Baabda, Lebanon; Bir El Abed, Hadi Nasrallah Highway, Middle East & Africa Bank Building, First Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Old Saida Road, Dallas Center, 6th Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; Website www.starscom.net; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Commercial Registry Number 1901453 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: AMHAZ, Kamel Mohamad).

STARS INTERNATIONAL LTD (a.k.a. STARS INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD), Room 2203A, Grand Tower, No. 228 TianHe Road, TianHe District, Guangzhou, China; F-18, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates [SDGT] (Linked To: ZEAITER, Ali; Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING). -to- STARS INTERNATIONAL LTD (a.k.a. STARS INTERNATIONAL CO. LTD), Room 2203A, Grand Tower, No. 228 TianHe Road, TianHe District, Guangzhou, China; F-18, Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: ZEAITER, Ali; Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING).

TABAJA, Adham Husayn (a.k.a. TABAJA, Adham Hussein; a.k.a. TABAJAH, Adham); DOB 24 Oct 1967; POB Kfartebnit 50, Lebanon; alt. POB Kfar Tibnit, Lebanon; alt. POB Ghobeiry, Lebanon; alt. POB Al Ghubayrah, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Passport RL1294089 (Lebanon); Identification Number 00986426 (Iraq) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- TABAJA, Adham Husayn (a.k.a. TABAJA, Adham Hussein; a.k.a. TABAJAH, Adham); DOB 24 Oct 1967; POB Kfartebnit 50, Lebanon; alt. POB Kfar Tibnit, Lebanon; alt. POB Ghobeiry, Lebanon; alt. POB Al Ghubayrah, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Passport RL1294089 (Lebanon); Identification Number 00986426 (Iraq) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

TAHINI, Abdallah Asad (a.k.a. THAHINI, Abdallah; a.k.a. THINI, Abdalla As'ad; a.k.a. "TAHINI, Ahmad"); DOB 20 Jun 1965; POB Lebanon (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- TAHINI, Abdallah Asad (a.k.a. THAHINI, Abdallah; a.k.a. THINI, Abdalla As'ad; a.k.a. "TAHINI, Ahmad"); DOB 20 Jun 1965; POB Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

TAJCO (a.k.a. GRAND STORES (THE GAMBIA LOCATION ONLY); a.k.a. TAJCO COMPANY; a.k.a. TAJCO COMPANY LLC; a.k.a. TAJCO LTD; a.k.a. TAJCO SARL; a.k.a. TRADEX CO), 62 Buckle Street, Banjul, The Gambia; 1 Picton Street, Banjul, The Gambia; Dohat Building 1st Floor, Liberation Avenue, Banjul, The Gambia; Tajco Building, Main Street, Hannawiyah, Tyre, Lebanon; Tajco Building, Hanouay, Sour (Tyre), Lebanon; 30 Sani Abacha Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone; Website www.tajco-ltd.com; alt. Website www.tajcogambia.com; (Tradex Co. is a subsidiary of Tajco Company and operates from the same business address in Freetown, Sierra Leone as Tajco Company.) [SDGT]. -to- TAJCO (a.k.a. GRAND STORES (THE GAMBIA LOCATION ONLY); a.k.a. TAJCO COMPANY; a.k.a. TAJCO COMPANY LLC; a.k.a. TAJCO LTD; a.k.a. TAJCO SARL; a.k.a. TRADEX CO), 62 Buckle Street, Banjul, The Gambia; 1 Picton Street, Banjul, The Gambia; Dohat Building 1st Floor, Liberation Avenue, Banjul, The Gambia; Tajco Building, Main Street, Hannawiyah, Tyre, Lebanon; Tajco Building, Hanouay, Sour (Tyre), Lebanon; 30 Sani Abacha Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone; Website www.tajco-ltd.com; alt. Website www.tajcogambia.com; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; (Tradex Co. is a subsidiary of Tajco Company and operates from the same business address in Freetown, Sierra Leone as Tajco Company.) [SDGT].

TAJIDEEN, Ali (a.k.a. TAGEDDINE, Ali Mohamed; a.k.a. TAJ AL DIN, Ali; a.k.a. TAJEDDIN, Ali Mohammad Abdel Hassan; a.k.a. TAJEDDIN, Ali Mohammad Abed Al-Hassan; a.k.a. TAJEDDINE, Ali); DOB 1961; alt. DOB 1963; POB Hanaway, Lebanon; alt. POB Hanouay, Lebanon; alt. POB Hanawiya, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon (individual) [SDGT]. -to- TAJIDEEN, Ali (a.k.a. TAGEDDINE, Ali Mohamed; a.k.a. TAJ AL DIN, Ali; a.k.a. TAJEDDIN, Ali Mohammad Abdel Hassan; a.k.a. TAJEDDIN, Ali Mohammad Abed Al-Hassan; a.k.a. TAJEDDINE, Ali); DOB 1961; alt. DOB 1963; POB Hanaway, Lebanon; alt. POB Hanouay, Lebanon; alt. POB Hanawiya, Lebanon; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

TAJIDEEN, Husayn (a.k.a. TAJ AL DIN, Husayn; a.k.a. TAJIDEEN, Hussein; a.k.a. TAJIDINE, Hajj Hussein), The Gambia; DOB 1963 (individual) [SDGT]. -to- TAJIDEEN, Husayn (a.k.a. TAJ AL DIN, Husayn; a.k.a. TAJIDEEN, Hussein; a.k.a. TAJIDINE, Hajj Hussein), The Gambia; DOB 1963; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations (individual) [SDGT].

TARABAIN CHAMAS, Mohamad (a.k.a. CHAMS, Mohamad; a.k.a. TARABAY, Muhammad; a.k.a. TARABAYN SHAMAS, Muhammad), Avenida Jose Maria De Brito 606, Apartment 51, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Cecilia Meirelles 849, Bloco B, Apartment 09, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 11 Jan 1967; POB Asuncion, Paraguay; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Brazil; alt. citizen Paraguay; National Foreign ID Number RNE: W031645-8 (Brazil) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- TARABAIN CHAMAS, Mohamad (a.k.a. CHAMS, Mohamad; a.k.a. TARABAY, Muhammad; a.k.a. TARABAYN SHAMAS, Muhammad), Avenida Jose Maria De Brito 606, Apartment 51, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; Cecilia Meirelles 849, Bloco B, Apartment 09, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil; DOB 11 Jan 1967; POB Asuncion, Paraguay; citizen Lebanon; alt. citizen Brazil; alt. citizen Paraguay; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; National Foreign ID Number RNE: W031645-8 (Brazil) (individual) [SDGT].

TELESERVE PLUS SAL (a.k.a. TELESERVEPLUS), 4th Floor, Dalas Center, Old Saida Road, Chiyah, Baabda, Lebanon; Postal Box 13-5483, Lebanon; Old Saida Avenue, Dallas Center, 6th Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; 6th Floor, Dallas Center, Old Saida Road, Chiyah, Baabda, Lebanon; Website www.teleserveplus.com; Commercial Registry Number 2004609 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING). -to- TELESERVE PLUS SAL (a.k.a. TELESERVEPLUS), 4th Floor, Dalas Center, Old Saida Road, Chiyah, Baabda, Lebanon; Postal Box 13-5483, Lebanon; Old Saida Avenue, Dallas Center, 6th Floor, Beirut, Lebanon; 6th Floor, Dallas Center, Old Saida Road, Chiyah, Baabda, Lebanon; Website www.teleserveplus.com; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Commercial Registry Number 2004609 (Lebanon) [SDGT] (Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING).

TRADE POINT INTERNATIONAL S.A.R.L., 3rd Floor, Gulf Building, Block B, Hafez Al Asad Street, Airport Highway, Bir Hassan, Beirut, Lebanon; Gulf Building, 3rd Floor, Hafiz Al Asad Autostrade, Ghobeiri, Baabda, Lebanon; Registration ID 2020615 [SDGT] (Linked To: NOUREDDINE, Mohamad). -to- TRADE POINT INTERNATIONAL S.A.R.L., 3rd Floor, Gulf Building, Block B, Hafez Al Asad Street, Airport Highway, Bir Hassan, Beirut, Lebanon; Gulf Building, 3rd Floor, Hafiz Al Asad Autostrade, Ghobeiri, Baabda, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Registration ID 2020615 [SDGT] (Linked To: NOUREDDINE, Mohamad).

UNIQUE STARS MOBILE PHONES LLC (a.k.a. UNIQUE STARS LLC), Postal Box 98498, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Al Maktoum Road, Deira, Al Kabira Building, First Floor, Office #103, PO Box 98498, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Office 103, 1st Floor, Sheikh Rashed Building, Al Maktoum Road, Deira, DXB Municipality , Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Gargash Center, Nasser Square, Shop No. 41, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Dubai Chamber of Commerce Membership No. 116340; Commercial Registry Number 591610 (United Arab Emirates) [SDGT] (Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING; Linked To: IBRAHIM, Ayman). -to- UNIQUE STARS MOBILE PHONES LLC (a.k.a. UNIQUE STARS LLC), Postal Box 98498, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Al Maktoum Road, Deira, Al Kabira Building, First Floor, Office #103, PO Box 98498, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Office 103, 1st Floor, Sheikh Rashed Building, Al Maktoum Road, Deira, DXB Municipality , Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Gargash Center, Nasser Square, Shop No. 41, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Dubai Chamber of Commerce Membership No. 116340; Commercial Registry Number 591610 (United Arab Emirates) [SDGT] (Linked To: IBRAHIM, Ayman; Linked To: STARS GROUP HOLDING).

VATECH SARL (a.k.a. VATECH LEBANON; a.k.a. VATECH VIDEO AND PRO AUDIO; a.k.a. "VATECH"), P.O. Box 14-5728, Jishi Building, Salim Slam Street, Mazraa, Beirut, Lebanon; P.O. Box 14-5728, Borj al Salam Building, Salim Slam Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Mazraa Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Moseitbi Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Salim Slam Street, Mazraa, Beirut, Lebanon; Jishi Building, Mazraa Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Website www.vatech.com.lb [SDGT] (Linked To: SERHAN, Fadi Hussein). -to- VATECH SARL (a.k.a. VATECH LEBANON; a.k.a. VATECH VIDEO AND PRO AUDIO; a.k.a. "VATECH"), P.O. Box 14-5728, Jishi Building, Salim Slam Street, Mazraa, Beirut, Lebanon; P.O. Box 14-5728, Borj al Salam Building, Salim Slam Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Mazraa Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Moseitbi Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Jaafar Building, Salim Slam Street, Mazraa, Beirut, Lebanon; Jishi Building, Mazraa Street, Beirut, Lebanon; Website www.vatech.com.lb; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: SERHAN, Fadi Hussein).

WAAD PROJECT (a.k.a. AL-WAAD AL-SADIQ; a.k.a. 'MASHURA WAAD LAADAT AL-AAMAR; a.k.a. WAAD; a.k.a. WA'AD AS SADIQ; a.k.a. WAAD COMPANY; a.k.a. WAAD FOR REBUILDING THE SOUTHERN SUBURB; a.k.a. WAAD PROJECT FOR RECONSTRUCTION; a.k.a. WA'D PROJECT; a.k.a. WAED; a.k.a. WA'ED ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. WA'ID COMPANY), Harat Hurayk, Lebanon; Beirut, Lebanon; Telephone No. 009613679153; Telephone No. 009613380223; Telephone No. 03889402; Telephone No. 03669916 [SDGT]. -to- WAAD PROJECT (a.k.a. AL-WAAD AL-SADIQ; a.k.a. 'MASHURA WAAD LAADAT AL-AAMAR; a.k.a. WAAD; a.k.a. WA'AD AS SADIQ; a.k.a. WAAD COMPANY; a.k.a. WAAD FOR REBUILDING THE SOUTHERN SUBURB; a.k.a. WAAD PROJECT FOR RECONSTRUCTION; a.k.a. WA'D PROJECT; a.k.a. WAED; a.k.a. WA'ED ORGANIZATION; a.k.a. WA'ID COMPANY), Harat Hurayk, Lebanon; Beirut, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Telephone No. 009613679153; Telephone No. 009613380223; Telephone No. 03889402; Telephone No. 03669916 [SDGT].

WEHBE, Bilal Mohsen (a.k.a. WAHBE, Bilal; a.k.a. WAHBI, Bilal Mohsen; a.k.a. WAHBI, Bilal Muhsin; a.k.a. WAHBI, Muhsin Bilal; a.k.a. WEHBI, Bilal Mohsem; a.k.a. WEHBI, Bilal Mohsen; a.k.a. WIHBI, Bilal Muhsin), Avenida Jose Maria de Brito 929, Centro,, Foz Do Iguacu, Parana State, Brazil; DOB 07 Jan 1967; Passport CZ74340 (Brazil); alt. Passport 0083628 (Lebanon); Identification Number 77688048 (Brazil); Shaykh (individual) [SDGT]. -to- WEHBE, Bilal Mohsen (a.k.a. WAHBE, Bilal; a.k.a. WAHBI, Bilal Mohsen; a.k.a. WAHBI, Bilal Muhsin; a.k.a. WAHBI, Muhsin Bilal; a.k.a. WEHBI, Bilal Mohsem; a.k.a. WEHBI, Bilal Mohsen; a.k.a. WIHBI, Bilal Muhsin), Avenida Jose Maria de Brito 929, Centro,, Foz Do Iguacu, Parana State, Brazil; DOB 07 Jan 1967; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport CZ74340 (Brazil); alt. Passport 0083628 (Lebanon); Identification Number 77688048 (Brazil); Shaykh (individual) [SDGT].

WONDERLAND AMUSEMENT PARK AND RESORT LTD (a.k.a. WONDERLAND AMUSEMENT PARK), B1 Kukbawa, Opposite National Stadium, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria [SDGT] (Linked To: FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish; Linked To: FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish). -to- WONDERLAND AMUSEMENT PARK AND RESORT LTD (a.k.a. WONDERLAND AMUSEMENT PARK), B1 Kukbawa, Opposite National Stadium, Abuja, FCT, Nigeria; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT] (Linked To: FAWAZ, Mustapha Reda Darwish; Linked To: FAWAZ, Fouzi Reda Darwish).

YOUSSER COMPANY FOR FINANCE AND INVESTMENT, Lebanon [SDGT]. -to- YOUSSER COMPANY FOR FINANCE AND INVESTMENT, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations [SDGT].

ZAHER EL DINE, Hamdi (a.k.a. ZAHREDDINE, Hamdi); DOB 20 Jul 1984; nationality Lebanon; Gender Male; Passport RL2146270 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH). -to- ZAHER EL DINE, Hamdi (a.k.a. ZAHREDDINE, Hamdi); DOB 20 Jul 1984; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Gender Male; Passport RL2146270 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT] (Linked To: HIZBALLAH).

ZEAITER, Ali (a.k.a. ZOEITER, Ali; a.k.a. ZU'AYTAR, 'Ali; a.k.a. ZU'AYTIR, Ali Husayn), Tianhelu 351 Hao, Tianhequ, Guangzhou, China; Room 2203A, Grand Tower, No. 228 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China; Room 2203A, Guangcheng Building, No. 228 Tianhe Road , Guangzhou, China; 204 No. 253 Tianhebei Road , Guangzhou, China; DOB 24 Feb 1977; nationality Lebanon; Passport RL1924321 (Lebanon); alt. Passport RL0877465 (Lebanon); General Manager, Stars International Ltd (individual) [SDGT]. -to- ZEAITER, Ali (a.k.a. ZOEITER, Ali; a.k.a. ZU'AYTAR, 'Ali; a.k.a. ZU'AYTIR, Ali Husayn), Tianhelu 351 Hao, Tianhequ, Guangzhou, China; Room 2203A, Grand Tower, No. 228 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, China; Room 2203A, Guangcheng Building, No. 228 Tianhe Road , Guangzhou, China; 204 No. 253 Tianhebei Road , Guangzhou, China; DOB 24 Feb 1977; nationality Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport RL1924321 (Lebanon); alt. Passport RL0877465 (Lebanon); General Manager, Stars International Ltd (individual) [SDGT].

ZURAIK, Ali Hasan (a.k.a. ZRAIQ, Ali; a.k.a. ZREIK, Ali; a.k.a. ZREIK, Ali Hassan; a.k.a. ZURAYQ, Ali); DOB 1952; POB Al Khiyam, Lebanon; Passport RL0266714 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 1082625 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT]. -to- ZURAIK, Ali Hasan (a.k.a. ZRAIQ, Ali; a.k.a. ZREIK, Ali; a.k.a. ZREIK, Ali Hassan; a.k.a. ZURAYQ, Ali); DOB 1952; POB Al Khiyam, Lebanon; Additional Sanctions Information - Subject to Secondary Sanctions Pursuant to the Hizballah Financial Sanctions Regulations; Passport RL0266714 (Lebanon); alt. Passport 1082625 (Lebanon) (individual) [SDGT].