The price of standing by Hezbollah U.S. imposes sanctions on Sleiman Frangieh

Without any prior warning, the U.S. government yesterday imposed a package of sanctions on Lebanese officials, claiming it had evidence of their involvement in “obstructing the path to peace in Lebanon” and undermining efforts aimed at disarming Hezbollah.

At the top of the sanctions list is Sleiman Frangieh, leader of the Marada Movement. The U.S. Treasury Department said Frangieh had received financial support from Hezbollah in exchange for helping target parliamentary seats held by reformist and independent MPs in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections.

The sanctions also included Mahmoud Qmati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s Political Council, whom the Treasury Department said had coordinated money-smuggling operations from Iran on behalf of the party.

The sanctions also targeted Globe S.A.L., the technical arm of Al-Ahed Trading and Investment, a Hezbollah-linked company based in Syria, over its ties to the business network of sanctioned individual Alaa Hamieh. They also included Al-Shifa Administrative Services and its CEO, Wael Constantine, due to their links to Hamieh.

In response, Sleiman Frangieh wrote on X: “The U.S. sanctions do not concern us in any way, especially since our charge is that we stand with a component of our country against a Zionist enemy that occupies our land and kills our people. We were, and still are, in favor of peace, but against surrender. This action will not affect our position; rather, it will only strengthen our conviction.”