Lebanon

1945-01-01

Raouche, Beirut, Lebanon; Ras El Matn, Lebanon

000024647222, National ID No.

As of late 2023, Hizballah official Muhammad Ibrahim Habib al-Sayyid (al-Sayyid) assumed responsibility for some of Hizballah’s commercial businesses from al-Bazzal. Al-Sayyid previously travelled with al-Bazzal to Southeast Asia to coordinate potential oil deals in the region for Hizballah’s finance team. He has also acted as an interlocutor between al-Bazzal and Lebanese businessman Ali Nayef Zgheib (Zgheib) on an oil project at a refinery site in Az-Zahrani, Lebanon. Since at least late 2019, Zgheib, a petroleum chemistry expert, has advised and assisted Hizballah’s finance team behind the scenes, and has met with Qasir and al-Bazzal to coordinate their activities. As a member of Hizballah’s oil smuggling network, Zgheib secured storage tanks, likely for oil, on behalf of Hizballah. Senior Hizballah officials Qasir and al-Bazzal have made a profit from the LPG deals with Zgheib. Zgheib has met with at least one Hizballah-affiliated Lebanese Member of Parliament to discuss the financing of Hizballah oil projects and has also coordinated with Hizballah financier Muhammad Ibrahim Bazzi (Bazzi) regarding business negotiations. On May 17, 2018, OFAC designated Bazzi pursuant to E.O. 13224 for his support to Hizballah. Lebanese businessman Boutros Georges Obeid (Obeid) is also involved in Hizballah’s energy deals, and jointly owns several companies, described below, with Zgheib. Al-Sayyid, Zgheib, and Obeid are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hizballah. Zgheib and Obeid own and manage Heavy Oil Distribution Company S.A.L. (HODICO) and several subsidiaries that have been involved in Hizballah’s energy deals, many of which have been coordinated by al-Bazzal. Zgheib serves as the Director of HODICO, while Obeid serves as the Chairman. Zgheib and Obeid also jointly manage Heavy Oil Distribution Company SAL Offshore (HODICO Offshore). Another HODICO subsidiary managed by Zgheib and Obeid, Heavy Industrial Fuels SAL HIF (HIF SAL), received a $1 million payment in 2022 from Yasser Ibrahim that was arranged by al-Bazzal, likely for LPG shipments to Syria. Obeid is the primary owner of O.H.G. Holding SAL, another company within the HODICO group of companies, for which Zgheib serves as a director and member of the board. In 2020, Zgheib requested al-Bazzal’s assistance to manage payments for O.H.G. Holding SAL, which had encountered difficulties in transferring payments. HODICO and HIF SAL are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Hizballah. HODICO Offshore is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for being owned, controlled, or directed by, directly or indirectly, Obeid and Zgheib.

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2572

2024-09-11

US

Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 C.F.R. part 594

OFAC-horizontal

Terrorism

Blocking Property

• https://ofac.treasury.gov/faqs/topic/2396

On June 6, 2003, OFAC issued the Global Terrorism Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 594 (68 FR 34196, June 6, 2003 (“the Regulations”), to implement Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 of September 23, 2001, “Blocking Property and Prohibiting Transactions With Persons Who Commit, Threaten To Commit, or Support Terrorism” (66 FR 49079, September 25, 2001). OFAC has amended the Regulations on several occasions. On September 9, 2019, the President, invoking the authority of, inter alia, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701–1706) (IEEPA) and the United Nations Participation Act (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), issued E.O. 13886, “Modernizing Sanctions To Combat Terrorism” (84 FR 48041, September 12, 2019), effective September 10, 2019. In E.O. 13886, the President, finding it necessary to consolidate and enhance sanctions to combat acts of terrorism and threats of terrorism by foreign terrorists, terminated the national emergency declared in E.O. 12947 of January 23, 1995, “Prohibiting Transactions With Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process” (60 FR 5079, January 25, 1995), and revoked E.O. 12947, as amended by E.O. 13099 of August 20, 1998, “Prohibiting Transactions With Terrorists Who Threaten To Disrupt the Middle East Peace Process” (63 FR 45167, August 25, 1998). In addition, the President amended E.O. 13224, in order to build upon initial steps taken in E.O. 12947, to further strengthen and consolidate sanctions to combat the continuing threat posed by international terrorism, and in order to take additional steps to deal with the national emergency declared in E.O. 13224, with respect to the continuing and immediate threat of grave acts of terrorism and threats of terrorism committed by foreign terrorists, which include acts of terrorism that threaten the Middle East peace process. Section 1 of E.O. 13886 replaces in its entirety section 1 of E.O. 13224, which had been amended by a number of prior Executive orders (E.O. 13224, as amended by all such authorities, is referred to herein as “amended E.O. 13224”), but does not amend the Annex to E.O. 13224, which was previously amended by E.O. 13268 of July 2, 2002, “Termination of Emergency With Respect to the Taliban and Amendment of Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001” (67 FR 44751, July 3, 2002) (“amended Annex to E.O. 13224”).

SDN