Thursday, January 26, 2017

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Kaidanow Concludes Visit to Lebanon

January 26, 2017
Acting Assistant Secretary for Political Military Affairs Tina Kaidanow concluded a one-day visit to Lebanon on January 25.  Her visit came as the United States continued its support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, including the delivery on Monday of an additional $3.2 million in equipment for ground troops.  Ambassador Kaidanow met with a range of representatives from Lebanon’s political and security institutions, including Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Jean Kahwagi, Minister of Defense Yaacoub Sarraf, and a group of Lebanese Parliamentarians.
On January 25, Ambassador Kaidanow visited the headquarters of the Lebanese Armed Forces.  While there, she underscored the United States’ long-standing commitment to Lebanon’s security and stability.  The United States is proud to be the Lebanese army’s top security partner and has provided over $1.5 billion in training and equipment to Lebanon’s military since 2006.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Remarks at a UN Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East

Ambassador Michele J. Sison

U.S. Deputy Representative to the United Nations
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York City
January 17, 2017

Excerpt

In Lebanon, we welcome the formation of a cabinet, and encourage the new Lebanese government and President Michel Aoun to seize this opportunity to respond to the needs of the Lebanese people, and to address the pressing security, economic, and humanitarian challenges facing the country.

The United States reaffirms its strong commitment to Lebanon’s security, stability, and sovereignty, and we look to all parties in Lebanon to uphold Lebanon’s international obligations, including those contained in UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1701.

We will continue to support Lebanon’s state institutions, including the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, which defend Lebanon’s borders and contain violent spillover effects from the Syrian conflict.

Monday, January 09, 2017

State Department Terrorist Designations of Ali Damush and Mustafa Mughniyeh

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
January 9, 2017


The Department of State has designated Ali Damush and Mustafa Mughniyeh as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons and groups determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. The consequences of these designations include a prohibition against U.S. persons engaging in transactions or dealings with Damush and Mughniyeh and the freezing of all of their property and interests in property in the United States, or which come within the United States or the possession or control of U.S. persons.

Ali Damush is a senior leader of Hizballah, a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), and an aide to its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). Damush leads Hizballah’s Foreign Relations Department, which engages in covert terrorist operations around the world on behalf of Hizballah, including recruiting terrorist operatives and gathering intelligence.

Mustafa Mughniyeh is a commander in Hizballah. He is the nephew of the terrorist group’s previous military commander Mustafa Badreddine and the son of the notorious Hizballah military commander Imad Mughniyeh. Mustafa Mughniyeh once led Hizballah’s operations in the Golan Heights, helping organize the group’s terrorist infrastructure.

The imposition of sanctions by the United States against terrorists like Damush and Mughniyeh is a powerful tool. Today’s action notifies the U.S. public and the international community that Ali Damush and Mustafa Mughniyeh are actively engaged in terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and other governments.

A list of State Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations and SDGTs is available here: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/index.htm.

Identifiers:

Name: Ali Damush
AKA: Ali Daghmoush
AKA: Ali Dagmoush
AKA: Ali Daamoush
AKA: Ali Dagmush
AKA: Shiekh Ali Musa Da’amoush
DOB: October 21, 1962
POB: Sidon, Lebanon

Name: Mustafa Mughniyeh
AKA: Mustafa Mughniyah
DOB: January 1987
POB: Tehran, Iran

Location: Lebanon