U.S. targets individuals, entities linked to Lebanon's Martyrs Foundation
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday added a host of Lebanese individuals and entities it said were linked to the Martyrs Foundation to its designated "global terrorists" lists, according to a notice on the U.S. Treasury Department's website.
U.S. officials have previously targeted the Lebanon-based Martyrs Foundation, an organization the department has said channels financial support to several militant groups, including Hezbollah.
The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement that its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had blacklisted Atlas Holding for being owned or controlled by the Martyrs Foundation, as well as senior Atlas official Kassem Mohamad Ali Bazzi, and 10 Atlas-affiliated companies.
Jawad Nur-al-Din and Sheikh Yusuf Aasi were also designated for being leaders or officials of the Martyrs Foundation, which was designated for supporting terrorism in July 2007. Mirath S.A.L., which is owned or controlled by Jawad Nur-al-Din, was also designated.
As a result, all property of those targeted that fall under U.S. jurisdiction must be blocked and reported to OFAC, whose rules generally bar all U.S. persons from dealing with them. Further, those blacklisted are subject to secondary sanctions under which OFAC can penalize foreign financial institutions which deal with them.
(Writing by Susan Heavey and Arshad Mohammed; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
