BEIRUT: US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea announced that Washington has planned to impose new sanctions against the Hezbollah movement and possibly on supporters of the group. “New sanctions will be put in place starting June 1,” Xinhua news agency quoted Shea as saying on Sunday in a televised interview.
Shea denied the US’ intention to cause a collapse to the Lebanese economy by imposing sanctions against Hezbollah. She added that the US will make announcements next week to provide scholarships for students at the American University of Beirut and the Lebanese American University.
Lebanese experts have expressed their worries about the US intention of putting obstacles in the way of Lebanon’s access to funds by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) given the role of Hezbollah in the government. Lebanon is currently negotiating with the IMF the possibility of funds in a bid to restructure the country’s economy and implement necessary reforms for economic revival.
Established in 1982 during Lebanon’s civil war, Hezbollah is now a major political party in the country. It fought a war with Israel in 2006. The group,backed by the Islamic Shia community, has long been designated as a terrorist group by the US and Israel.
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