WASHINGTON, United States (US): The US sanctioned two Lebanese officials and companies Thursday allegedly linked to a Hezbollah business network, accusing them of obstructing Lebanon’s peace process and delaying the disarmament of the militant group, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported, citing statement from the US Treasury Department.
“Hezbollah must disarm for Lebanon to achieve a secure and prosperous future,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
In a separate statement, the US State Department said “Hizballah is the single biggest obstacle to Lebanon’s recovery and future, and holds the state hostage to a permanent state of conflict”.
Earlier Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he expects a “complete ceasefire on all fronts”, including Lebanon, Hezbollah and Israel, following the signing of a US-Iran agreement aimed at ending the Middle East conflict.
US Vice-President, JD Vance, on Thursday criticised recent Israeli strikes on Beirut that disrupted negotiations with Iran, saying civilian casualties were “not acceptable”.
Vance said that in the wake of the Iran deal’s signing, the US expects Hezbollah to halt drone and rocket attacks on Israel and for Israel to refrain from “going wild in Lebanon”.
Israel has been waging an offensive on Lebanon since March 2, killing 3,912 people, injuring 11,873 others and displacing more than 1 million, according to the latest official figures.
Israel continues to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the latest conflict between the two sides.
During the recent military campaign, Israeli forces advanced more than 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) into Lebanese territory. – BERNAMA-ANADOL
