The Department of State has designated Jawad Nasrallah and Al-Mujahidin Brigades (AMB) as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

Today’s designations seek to deny Nasrallah and AMB the resources to plan and carry out terrorist attacks. Among other consequences, all of their property and interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and
U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them.

The Department of State has also reviewed and maintained the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation of Hizballah, which was originally designated as an FTO in 1997 and as an SDGT in 2001. It is a crime to knowingly provide, or to attempt or conspire to provide, material support or resources to FTOs.

Today’s actions maintain the momentum of the Administration’s snapback sanctions on Iran. Together with this Administration’s unprecedented campaign of targeted designations, these are the toughest sanctions that have ever been imposed on the Iranian regime. They are designed to deprive the regime of vital revenue it uses to conduct terrorism and support terrorist groups around the world, to include Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, Kata’ib Hizballah, and the Taliban.

Jawad Nasrallah is the son of Hizballah’s leader and SDGT Hassan Nasrallah, as well as a rising leader of Hizballah. Jawad Nasrallah has previously recruited individuals to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel in the West Bank. In January 2016, he tried to activate a suicide bombing and shooting cell based in the West Bank, but the Israeli government arrested the five Palestinians he recruited to the cell.

AMB is a military organization that has operated in the Palestinian Territories since 2005 and whose members have plotted a number of attacks against Israeli targets. AMB has ties to Hizballah, and Hizballah has provided funding and military training to AMB members.

Today’s actions notify the U.S. public and the international community that Jawad Nasrallah and AMB have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism. Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate them, and deny them access to the U.S. financial system. Moreover, designations can assist the law enforcement actions of other U.S. agencies and governments.

The Department of the Treasury also announced today that it is designating four Hizballah-affiliated individuals who lead and coordinate the group’s operational, intelligence, and financial activities in Iraq. These coordinated actions underscore the U.S. commitment to disrupting Hizballah and its facilitation networks throughout the Middle East. Additional information on the Treasury designations is available at https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases. A list of State Department-designated FTOs and SDGTs is available here: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/list/index.htm.

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In order to further optimize the State Department and USAID’s humanitarian assistance, I have established a new senior-level mechanism for coordinating and overseeing U.S. humanitarian assistance – the Humanitarian Assistance Steering Council. The purpose of the Council is to coordinate U.S. government efforts in order to achieve seamless, efficient, and effective delivery of humanitarian assistance overseas in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives, including promoting burden-sharing and UN humanitarian reform.

The State Department, through the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, as well as USAID, through the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, have vital and complementary roles to play in the development and implementation of U.S. humanitarian assistance. The Council’s establishment will improve oversight and accountability across the two organizations while supporting their distinct and important functions.

Ambassador Nathan A. Sales, with his delegated authorities of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, and Rear Admiral Tim Ziemer, head of the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, will co-lead the Council at the outset. Other members will include senior leaders from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, the Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources, the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, and USAID’s Bureau for Policy, Planning, and Learning.

The Council will provide important leadership and coordination to maintain the United States’ proud tradition of responding to conflicts, other complex emergencies, and natural disasters while equipping the United States to improve the impact and results of our humanitarian assistance. Promoting burden-sharing by other donors will be an important focus for the Council. Despite significant U.S. and other donor contributions, the gap between needs and available resources continues to grow, which is why it is critical that we redouble our efforts to improve efficiency and increase donor contributions in order to promote sustainable solutions for those in need.

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External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Carl Risch will travel November 12-16 to the United Kingdom and Ireland to participate in a series of meetings with U.S. diplomats and foreign government authorities.

The Assistant Secretary plans to review consular operations at our U.S. Embassies in London and Dublin. He will also meet with interagency partners.

The United States is committed to long-term engagement with the United Kingdom and Ireland on a variety of consular issues.

For press inquiries please contact CAPRESSREQUESTS@state.gov or (202) 485-6150.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

The United States joins our European Allies and partners in condemning the November 11 sham “elections” in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine. Yesterday’s illegitimate processes were an attempt by Moscow to institutionalize its Donbas proxies, the so-called “Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.” These entities have no place within the Minsk agreements or within Ukraine’s constitutional government, and they should be dismantled along with the illegal armed formations.

If Russia calculated the November 11 illegal “elections” would lead to international respect for its proxies, the international reaction proves it was mistaken. The OSCE refused to monitor yesterday’s farce. Russia’s actions have been denounced in capitals on both sides of the Atlantic and on the floors of the UN Security Council and the OSCE. The United States and the European Union have spoken with one voice against yesterday’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will continue to impose Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia until Moscow fully implements the Minsk agreements and returns control of Crimea to Ukraine.

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External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

On November 14, 2018, the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) will host 1,500 private sector security professionals at the 33rd annual briefing at the Harry S. Truman building in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Protecting Your Organization in a Changing World.” The open press portion of the event includes panel discussions on how prominent organizations counter cyber risks and the challenges of Russian information warfare. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Ambassador David Hale will deliver the keynote address.

The open press portion of the event will be open to credentialed members of the press from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, November 14. Media will have an opportunity to speak on the record with former Executive Vice President for Global Protection at Sony Stevan Bernard. Mr. Bernard will speak on the record about lessons learned for chief security officers countering cyber risks.

Media who plan to attend the open press portion of the event must RSVP by Tuesday, November 13, to Rebecca Gomez at GomezRE@state.gov or (571) 225-4527.

Media representatives may participate in the event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense, or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver’s license, passport)

For a sneak peek of the agenda, see it here. To learn more about OSAC, visit www.osac.gov.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.