US sanctions nine individuals including Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Sheibani ( pictured ) over Hezbollah ties. Sheibani, has refused to leave Lebanon despite being declared persona non grata and ordered to depart by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry
The sanctions of the Lebanese officers are seen as a direct warning to the Lebanese state and its security and military institutions.
Lebanon’s Army said on Friday (May 22) its soldiers were loyal to the institution after the US announced sanctions that included an officer accused of sharing information with Hezbollah.
The sanctions came after the US hosted three rounds of direct talks between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending the war that began after Hezbollah attacked Israel on Mar 2 and determining the future of relations between the two countries.
The sanctions include Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, three Hezbollah lawmakers and a former minister and two figures from the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement.
They also target army colonel Samir Hamadi, and Khattar Nasser Eldin, a general security officer, marking the first time that officers are sanctioned in Lebanon.
The US accused them of “obstructing the peace process in Lebanon”.
The army said that “all officers and members of the military institution are performing their national duties with utmost professionalism, responsibility, and discipline”.
It emphasised that “the loyalty of military personnel is solely to the military institution and the nation”, also saying it was not informed of the sanctions beforehand.
Washington said Hamadi, the army’s intelligence head in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, and Nasser Eldin, the national security chief in the general security service, “shared important intelligence” with Hezbollah “during the ongoing conflict”.
A general security statement affirmed its trust in its personnel, adding that if any “employee is found to have leaked any information outsid
