Source: Kataeb.org
Tuesday 15 July 2025 19:45:02
U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Tuesday praised the Lebanese central bank's latest move to curb illicit financial activity linked to Hezbollah, calling the decision to restrict dealings with entities like Al-Qard Al-Hassan “a step in the right direction.”
In a post on his official X account, Barrack said the government’s effort to contain the financial flows of Hezbollah through the unlicensed lending association marks a meaningful advance toward financial transparency.
“A step in the right direction by the Lebanese government in harnessing the flow of Hezbollah militia finances that had been directed thru Al-Qard Al-Hassan,” Barrack wrote. “Transparency and alignment of all financial intermediaries in Lebanon under the supervision of the Central Bank is a valued and necessary accomplishment.”
His comments came after Banque du Liban issued a directive banning banks, financial institutions, and all licensed financial intermediaries from conducting any transactions with Al-Qard Al-Hassan and other non-licensed entities listed on international sanctions lists.
Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which operates outside the formal banking system, has long been accused by Western officials of acting as a financial arm of Hezbollah, helping funnel funds to the Iran-backed group under the guise of charitable loans. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the organization in 2007, and reiterated in recent years that it poses a risk to Lebanon’s financial system.