US slaps sanctions on Hezbollah operatives

The Obama administration on Tuesday slapped sanctions on four Hezbollah operatives in its effort to stop what it called the Shiite militant group's incursion into West Africa. The Department of Treasury blacklisted Ali Ibrahim al-Watfa, Abbas Loutfe Fawaz, Ali Ahmad Chehade and Hicham Nmer Khanafer, who are accused of being responsible for Hezbollah's activities in Sierra Leone, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and Gambia respectively. The agency said the tetrad, all Lebanese, are aiding the group' s "attempts to extend its influence throughout West Africa" by organizing fundraising efforts, recruiting members and in some cases styling themselves "as ambassadors of Hezbollah's Foreign Relations Department." The Lebanese group, branded by Washington as a terrorist organization in October 2001, is aiding the Syrian government in its fighting against the opposition forces. "Even as Hezbollah claims to be a resistance organization, its expansive global network is sending money and operatives to carry out terrorist attacks around the world and fighters to the front lines of the Syrian civil war," the Treasury said in a statement. "As Hezbollah continues to use its global network of operatives and supporters to extend its malign influence beyond the borders of Lebanon, we will continue to use all tools at our disposal to take action to disrupt these efforts," Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen was quoted as saying. "These actions are increasingly important as the funding from Hezbollah's traditional patron, Iran, is squeezed by international sanctions," he added. The Treasury's sanctions bar American citizens from doing business with those targeted and freeze all of their assets under U.S. jurisdiction.