The US State Department sanctioned nine individuals on Thursday for enabling Hezbollah’s efforts to undermine Lebanese sovereignty, adding fresh pressure to a financial network that has increasingly relied on digital assets to move money across borders.
Among those designated are key Hezbollah political figures Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb Fanich and Nizammeddine Fadlallah, along with Iran’s ambassador-designate to Lebanon, Mohammad Reza Sheibani. The sanctions freeze any US-based assets held by the individuals and prohibit American entities from conducting business with them.
The crypto connection Hezbollah can’t shake
Israeli authorities seized approximately $1.7 million in USDT on the Tron network linked to Hezbollah back in 2023. Between 2023 and 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned multiple individuals specifically for providing crypto-related services to Hezbollah. The group’s use of USDT in particular has turned Tether’s flagship token into a recurring character in terrorism financing enforcement actions, something the stablecoin issuer has tried to address through its own compliance and law enforcement cooperation efforts.
What the State Department is signaling
