US sanctions Hezbollah-allied Lebanese Christian politician

BEIRUT — The U.S. Treasury on Friday slapped sanctions on Lebanon's former foreign minister and a leading Christian political ally of the militant Hezbollah group, singling him out for what it said was his role in corruption.

Gebran Bassil, a lawmaker who leads the largest bloc in parliament and a son-in-law of President Michel Aoun, has emerged as a major target of Lebanese protesters who thronged streets in an uprising last year over endemic corruption and state mismanagement.

The Treasury designation did not mention Bassil's alliance or links to Hezbollah, but the sanctions targeting him appeared to be part of the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign against Iran and its allies in the region.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement, said Bassil contributes to a prevailing system of corruption and political patronage in Lebanon that has "aided and abetted Hezbollah's destabilizing activities."

The United States has been sanctioning Hezbollah officials for years, and recently began targeting politicians close to the group. In September, the Treasury imposed sanctions on two former Lebanese Cabinet ministers allied with the militant group in a strong message to Hezbollah and its allies who control majority seats in Parliament.

Friday's announcement is a major expansion of the scope of sanctions targeting Hezbollah's political partners in Lebanon.

"The systemic corruption in Lebanon's political system exemplified by Bassil has helped to erode the foundation of an effective government that serves the Lebanese people," said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin.

Hezbollah called it a purely political decision and blatant interference in Lebanese affairs. It said the U.S., "which supports and sponsors corrupt dictatorial states around the world, is the last country that has the right to speak of fighting corruption."

The announcement came as the world anxiously awaited the result of U.S. elections and Donald Trump's pathway to reelection appeared to shrink.

It also comes as Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is struggling to form a new government in Lebanon, which has been hit by the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history. Hariri's government was toppled by the anti-corruption protests in November last year but he has recently been tasked by Aoun to form a new government.

There have been concerns that sanctioning Bassil, a major power broker in Lebanon, would further complicate Hariri's mission.

Bassil has held several high-level posts in the Lebanese government, serving as the minister of telecommunications, energy and water and as foreign minister at various intervals over the past two decades. He also heads the Free Patriotic Movement, the Christian party founded by Aoun, and is a top advisor to the president.