The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has reactivated sanctions against Gebran Bassil, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement and Member of Parliament in Lebanon. This decision comes nearly four years after the sanctions were first imposed by the U.S. Treasury and State Departments under Executive Order 13818. The executive order is part of the Global Magnitsky Act, which targets individuals involved in corruption and human rights abuses worldwide.

According to U.S. authorities, Bassil’s sanctions stem from his alleged role in the spread of corruption in Lebanon. 

In a development reported by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut allegedly conveyed a message that Bassil should adopt positions that align with American interests, particularly concerning Lebanon's ongoing presidential election. The report also claimed that the embassy sees Bassil’s opposition to Army Commander Joseph Aoun's candidacy as a "significant issue" complicating U.S. objectives in the country.