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US Congress unanimously approves legislation to combat Hezbollah financing
The US House of Representatives yesterday approved legislation which will impose sanctions on banks which do business with the terror group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, which is heavily backed by Iran, controls much of southern Lebanon and although Israel’s border with Lebanon has been largely quiet since the month-long 2006 Second Lebanon War, Israeli officials have estimated that Hezbollah has approximately 100,000 rockets at its disposal. Hezbollah is also committed to attacking Israelis abroad. A Bulgarian investigation concluded that Hezbollah was responsible for an attack which saw a bus bomb in the Bulgarian resort of Burgas kill five Israeli tourists in 2012. Meanwhile, earlier this year, a Cypriot court sentenced a Hezbollah operative to six years in prison for his role in planning a bomb attack targeting Israeli interests on the island.
The House of Representatives yesterday approved the bill by 422 votes to 0, which will punish financial institutions which conduct transactions with Hezbollah or launder money for the group. The goal of the new law, according to its summary is to “prevent Hezbollah’s global logistics and financial network from operating in order to curtail funding of its domestic and international activities.” It will also take action against satellite operators which broadcast Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television station.
The legislation was similarly unanimously approved by the US Senate last month. It will now go to the White House to be signed into law by President Obama, which is considered a formality with the White House having worked closely with Congress on the bill.
House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Ed Royce said before the vote that those aiding Hezbollah are “in our cross-hairs, they should be worried.” The Senate bill was sponsored by Presidential candidate Marco Rubio from Florida and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. Rubio commented, “We cannot afford to jeopardize our national security by letting Iran’s leading terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, continue to pose a direct threat to us and our allies including Israel.”