Lebanon National Day

Press Statement

Michael R. Pompeo 

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

November 21, 2018

Today, on behalf of the American people, I wish to offer our sincere congratulations to the people of Lebanon as you celebrate the 75th anniversary of your independence.

The United States commends the extraordinary progress you have made to safeguard Lebanon's stability in the face of many challenges. We greatly value our friendship with Lebanon, and we look forward to deepening our partnership to strengthen Lebanon's state institutions and sovereignty.

On this happy occasion, the United States reaffirms its enduring commitment to Lebanon and its people as you continue on a path towards a more prosperous and secure future.

Rewards for Justice - Reward Offer for Information on Hamas and Hizballah Key Leaders

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 13, 2018

The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program is offering rewards of up to $5 million each for information leading to the identification or location of Hamas leader Salih al-Aruri and Lebanese Hizballah leaders Khalil Yusif Mahmoud Harb and Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i.

Salih al-Aruri is a deputy of the political bureau of the terrorist organization Hamas and one of the founders of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's military wing. Aruri is currently living freely in Lebanon, where he reportedly is working with Qasem Soleimani, leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. Aruri funded and directed Hamas military operations in the West Bank and has been linked to several terrorist attacks, hijackings, and kidnappings. In 2014, al-Aruri announced Hamas's responsibility for the June 12, 2014 terrorist attack that kidnapped and killed three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, including dual U.S. –Israeli citizen Naftali Fraenkel. He publicly praised the murders as a "heroic operation." In September 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated al-Aruri as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order 13224.

Khalil Yusif Mahmoud Harb is a close adviser to Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hizballah terrorist group, and has served as the group's chief military liaison to Iran and to Palestinian terrorist organizations. Harb has commanded and supervised Lebanese Hizballah's military operations in the Palestinian territories and in several countries throughout the Middle East. In August 2013, the U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Harb as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224. In May 2015, Saudi officials designated Harb as a terrorist and accused him of commanding Hizballah's "central military unit" and of being responsible for Hizballah's activities in Yemen.

Haytham 'Ali Tabataba'i is a key Hizballah military leader who has commanded Hizballah's special forces in both Syria and Yemen. Tabataba'i's actions in Syria and Yemen are part of a larger Hizballah effort to provide training, materiel, and personnel in support of its destabilizing regional activities. In October 2016, the Department of State designated Tabataba'i as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224.

Hamas and Hizballah receive weapons, training, and funding from Iran, which the Secretary of State has designated as a state sponsor of terrorism. The Department of State designated both Hamas and Hizballah as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) in October 1997, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and as Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entities in October 2001 under Executive Order 13224.

More information about these reward offers is located on the Rewards for Justice website at www.rewardsforjustice.net. We encourage anyone with information on these individuals to contact the Rewards for Justice office via the website, e-mail (info@rewardsforjustice.net), phone (1-800-877-3927 in North America), or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, D.C., 20520-0303, USA). Individuals may also contact the Regional Security Officer at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

The Rewards for Justice program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid in excess of $145 million to more than 90 people who provided actionable information that helped bring terrorists to justice or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Rewards4Justice.

State Department Terrorist Designations of Jawad Nasrallah, al-Mujahidin Brigades, and Hizballah

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

November 13, 2018

The Department of State has designated Jawad Nasrallah and Al-Mujahidin Brigades (AMB) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who 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.

Today's designations seek to deny Nasrallah and AMB the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks. Among other consequences, all of their property and interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and
U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.

The Department of State has also reviewed and maintained the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of Hizballah, which was originally designated as an FTO in 1997 and as an SDGT in 2001. It is a crime to knowingly provide, or to attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to FTOs.

Today's actions maintain the momentum of the Administration's snapback sanctions on Iran. Together with this Administration's unprecedented campaign of targeted designations, these are the toughest sanctions that have ever been imposed on the Iranian regime. They are designed to deprive the regime of vital revenue it uses to conduct terrorism and support terrorist groups around the world, to include Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, Kata'ib Hizballah, and the Taliban.

Jawad Nasrallah is the son of Hizballah's leader and SDGT Hassan Nasrallah, as well as a rising leader of Hizballah. Jawad Nasrallah has previously recruited individuals to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel in the West Bank. In January 2016, he tried to activate a suicide bombing and shooting cell based in the West Bank, but the Israeli government arrested the five Palestinians he recruited to the cell.

AMB is a military organization that has operated in the Palestinian Territories since 2005 and whose members have plotted a number of attacks against Israeli targets. AMB has ties to Hizballah, and Hizballah has provided funding and military training to AMB members.

Today's actions notify the U.S. public and the international community that Jawad Nasrallah and AMB have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate them, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments.

The Department of the Treasury also announced today that it is designating four Hizballah-affiliated individuals who lead and coordinate the group's operational, intelligence, and financial activities in Iraq. These coordinated actions underscore the U.S. commitment to disrupting Hizballah and its facilitation networks throughout the Middle East. Additional information on the Treasury designations is available at https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases. A list of State Department-designated FTOs and SDGTs is available here: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/index.htm.