Lebanese official says US sanctioned him over Hezbollah ties

Lebanon’s former foreign minister said Sunday that last week’s U.S. sanctions targeted him over alleged corruption because he repeatedly refused Washington’s calls to severe ties with Iran-backed Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese militant and political group. The U.S. Treasury designation on Friday said Gebran Bassil was “at the forefront of corruption” in Lebanon. The Treasury designation did not mention Bassil’s alliance or links to Hezbollah, but the sanctions against him appeared to be part of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran and its allies in the region.

source https://news.yahoo.com/lebanese-official-says-us-sanctioned-143008307.html