State Department Terrorist Designations of Ali Damush and Mustafa Mughniyeh

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

January 9, 2017

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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