On May 12, the United Arab Emirates’ official news agency, Emirates News Agency, announced that Abu Dhabi had designated 16 Lebanese nationals and five Lebanon-based entities to its terrorism list over their ties to Hezbollah. The designated entities include Hezbollah’s financial institution, Al Qard Al Hassan (AQAH), alongside affiliated financial and accounting entities operating in Lebanon.
In its statement, the Emirati government repeatedly emphasized that the designations are intended to fight global terrorism and its financing streams. It further stated that all national regulatory authorities are required to identify any individual or entity maintaining financial or commercial relationships with those designated and to take the necessary measures against them, including freezing assets within 24 hours.
The individuals designated by the UAE are Ali Mohammad Karnib, Naser Hasan Neser, Hassan Shehadeh Osman, Samer Hassan Fawaz, Ahmad Mohammad Yazbeck, Issa Hussein Kassir, Ibrahim Ali Daher, Abbas Hassan Gharib, Imad Mohammad Bezz, Izzat Youssef Akar, Wahid Mahmoud Subayti, Mustafa Habib Harb, Mohammad Sleiman Badir, Adel Mohammad Mansour, Ali Ahmad Krisht, and Nehme Ahmad Jamil. The designated entities are Al Qard Al Hassan, Beit Al Mal Lil Muslimeen, Al Tashilat Company, The Auditors for Accounting and Auditing, and Al Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies.
The UAE designations largely mirror prior US Treasury actions targeting Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure. All 16 individuals designated by Abu Dhabi have previously appeared on US sanctions lists tied to Hezbollah and its financial institution, Al Qard Al Hassan. Similarly, all five entities designated by the UAE had already been sanctioned by the United States.
The following individuals appear on both the UAE and US Treasury designation lists:
Ali Mohammad Karnib, now also designated by the UAE, was previously designated by the US Treasury Department in July 2025 for acting on behalf of AQAH. Treasury stated that Karnib is a senior AQAH employee and “serves as the head of AQAH’s purchase department.” By July 2024, Treasury claimed he had overseen the purchase of 1,000 ounces of gold for AQAH. In February 2026, the Treasury Department also described him as a “co-owner and managing partner of Jood” SARL, a Lebanese gold-exchange structure created by AQAH to monetize gold holdings and evade sanctions.
Ahmad Mohammad Yazbeck was designated by the US Treasury Department in May 2021 for acting on behalf of AQAH and serving as AQAH’s financial director. Treasury also said that Yazbeck, alongside Hassan Shehadeh Osman, Abbas Hassan Gharib, Mustafa Habib Harb, and Izzat Youssef Akar, “maintain joint bank accounts in Lebanese banks that have allowed them to transfer more than $500 million within the formal financial system over the past decade.” Treasury also stated that Yazbeck is a co-owner of Tashilat SARL alongside other designated AQAH figures, adding, “Tashilat SARL provided mortgage loans after the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war and served part of the operations of AQAH and designated Hezbollah financial entities Yousser Company and Bayt Al Mal.”
Abbas Hassan Gharib was designated by the Treasury Department in May 2021 for acting on behalf of AQAH, where Treasury said he served as AQAH’s “informatics manager.” Gharib and Yazbeck held several “shadow accounts” through which Hezbollah-related transactions were conducted, and Gharib was among the AQAH officials who, according to Treasury, “maintained joint bank accounts in Lebanese banks that have allowed them to transfer more than $500 million within the formal financial system over the past decade.” As the informatics manager, Gharib’s significance is not only account-holding but also possible access to AQAH’s internal systems/records within its financial architecture.
Wahid Mahmoud Subayti was designated by the US Treasury Department in May 2021 for acting on behalf of AQAH. Subayti has facilitated financial transactions through covert accounts on behalf of Hezbollah. According to Treasury, he “had previously played a similar role maintaining bank accounts in his own name along with other senior Bayt al-Mal officials.” Treasury describes Bayt Al Mal, together with Hezbollah’s Central Finance Unit, as acting as Hezbollah’s “finance ministry.”
Mustafa Habib Harb was designated by the US Treasury Department in May 2021 for acting on behalf of AQAH. According to Treasury, Harb was part of the scheme to facilitate financial transactions through covert accounts on behalf of Hezbollah. He was among the officials whose joint bank accounts allegedly moved more than $500 million through Lebanese banks over the prior decade, despite sanctions against AQAH.
Izzat Youssef Akar was designated by the US Treasury Department in May 2021 for acting on behalf of AQAH. According to Treasury, Akar was part of the scheme to facilitate financial transactions through covert accounts on behalf of Hezbollah and was among the Hezbollah officials whose joint bank accounts allegedly allowed more than $500 million to be transferred through the formal financial system over a decade.
Hassan Shehadeh Osman/Othman was designated by the US Treasury Department in May 2021 for acting on behalf of AQAH. According to Treasury, Othman had facilitated financial transactions through covert accounts on behalf of Hezbollah. Treasury also said that Othman, alongside Ahmad Mohammad Yazbeck, Abbas Hassan Gharib, Mustafa Habib Harb, and Izzat Youssef Akar, “maintain[ed] joint bank accounts in Lebanese banks that have allowed them to transfer more than $500 million within the formal financial system over the past decade.”
Issa Hussein Kassir was designated by the US Treasury Department in July 2025 for acting on behalf of AQAH. Treasury claimed that Kassir was a senior AQAH official who oversaw supply and logistics for AQAH branches. Treasury also said that he “opened bank accounts in the formal financial system to conduct business activities for AQAH” and “was documented sending nearly a million dollars to OFAC-designated AQAH shadow bankers Yazbeck, Gharib, and Othman between 2007 and 2019.”
Samer Hassan Fawaz was designated by the US Treasury Department in July 2025 for acting as a senior administrator on behalf of AQAH. According to Treasury, Fawaz “is responsible for administration and liaising between AQAH and various companies that assist the organization with logistics and procurement” and has served as AQAH’s administrative director since at least 2010. In 2026, Treasury also said Jood SARL, which was established by AQAH officials, was overseen by Fawaz.
Imad Mohammad Bezz/Bazzi was designated by the US Treasury Department in July 2025 for acting on behalf of AQAH. According to Treasury, Bezz is the director of AQAH’s evaluation and storage division and oversees the institution’s gold transactions. Treasury also said he “transacted extensively with AQAH officials previously involved in shadow banking activities, including sending more than $2.5 million to an account held by three other AQAH officials.” In his role as a gold-side operator within AQAH, Bezz’s responsibilities complement Karnib’s purchasing role and Fawaz’s management and oversight of Jood SARL.
Mohammad Sleiman Badir was designated by the US Treasury Department in July 2025 for acting on behalf of AQAH. According to Treasury, Badir is the deputy director of AQAH at the Nabatiyeh branch, working under the designated AQAH official Subayti. Treasury stated that Badir previously held a joint account with Subayti that was opened as part of a plan by Hezbollah to circumvent the formal financial system. Badir effectively directly links AQAH’s Nabatiyeh branch to Hezbollah’s personal/joint bank account evasion scheme.
Adel Mohammad Mansour was designated by the US Treasury Department in December 2022 for acting on behalf of Hezbollah. According to Treasury, Mansour served as AQAH executive director for years and used personal bank accounts to conduct transactions with various Hezbollah institutions. Treasury also said Mansour owned, controlled, and directed Al Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies. Per Treasury, Al Khobara allegedly provided accounting services to AQAH and was managed by senior AQAH officials.
Ali Ahmad Krisht was designated by the US Treasury Department in July 2025 for acting on behalf of AQAH. According to Treasury, Krisht is the branch manager of AQAH in Tyre and “previously held at least three bank accounts on behalf of Hezbollah and worked” closely with AQAH director Adel Mansour and other AQAH officials. Treasury also alleged that “Krisht was associated” with senior Hezbollah financial adviser Hassan Moukalled, whom it designated in 2023.
Nehme Ahmad Jamil was designated by the US Treasury Department for acting on behalf of AQAH, stating that Jamil is a senior official who leads the institution’s auditing and commercial/business divisions. Treasury also stated that Jamil jointly owns Tashilat SARL with designated figures Ahmad Yazbeck and Husayn al-Shami.
Ibrahim Ali Daher was designated by the US Treasury Department in May 2021 for acting on behalf of Hezbollah. Treasury said he was the head of the group’s Central Finance Unit, “which oversees the group’s budget and spending,” and has been a key figure in Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure for more than a decade. In 2022, Treasury also said Daher was a majority owner and managing partner for Auditors for Accounting and Auditing and had held a senior managerial role there for years.
Naser Hasan Neser/Nasr was designated by the US Treasury Department in December 2022 for acting on behalf of Auditors for Accounting and Auditing, which provides financial services to Hezbollah’s Central Finance Unit. Treasury said Nasr was a managing partner, minority owner, authorized signatory, manager, and legal representative of The Auditors Accounting and Auditing. The designation also said he managed this firm alongside Ibrahim Ali Daher and reported to senior Hezbollah Executive Council and Central Finance Unit officials.
All five organizations proscribed by the UAE this month are also designated by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list as Special Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entities:
Bayt Al Mal Lil Muslimeen is one of Hezbollah’s older designated financial organs. Treasury designated it in September 2006, describing it as a Hezbollah-controlled organization that performs financial services for the group and operates under the direct supervision of then-Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. Treasury characterized Bayt Al Mal as Hezbollah’s main financial body — effectively a bank, creditor, investment arm, and intermediary between Hezbollah and mainstream banks. Hezbollah-aligned sources describe Bayt Al Mal as part of the earlier financial and social infrastructure from which AQAH developed. The Hezbollah-owned Al Ahed newspaper, recounting AQAH’s origins, said that Bayt al Mal had a shura/consultative structure, collected religious dues and deposits, and served as an early financial node before AQAH’s expansion. A separate Al Ahed piece framed Bayt Al Mal as a precursor that later developed into AQAH, presenting it as a “financial alternative” that financed education, small projects, and social burdens. The Central Bank of Lebanon issued Circular no. 170 in 2025, which explicitly barred licensed financial institutions from doing business with several Hezbollah entities, including Bayt Al Mal.
Al Qard Al Hassan Association was designated by the US Treasury Department in July 2007, with Treasury stating that Hezbollah used it as a cover to manage financial activity. Treasury said that after Bayt Al Mal and Yousser Company were designated in 2006, AQAH assumed a more prominent role in Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure. By February 2007, Bayt Al Mal and Yousser accounts had allegedly been changed and re-registered in the names of senior AQAH employees, giving Hezbollah access to the international banking system. Treasury’s later designations added that AQAH functions as a Hezbollah “quasi-financial institution” and that its officials used proxy/personal bank accounts and mirrored transactions to disguise Hezbollah-linked financial activity through Lebanese banks. In 2025 and 2026, Treasury also emphasized AQAH’s gold-related activities, stating that senior AQAH officials created Jood SARL to trade gold and convert gold reserves into usable funds, with Jood branches planned or opened near AQAH branches in Shiite-majority areas. A 2022 Al Ahed report claimed that AQAH had around 500 employees, 31 branches, 300,000 clients, and 1.9 million loans/beneficiaries since its founding, and $4 billion in loans through 2021. The Central Bank of Lebanon’s Circular No. 170 in 2025 also barred licensed Lebanese financial institutions from dealing directly or indirectly with AQAH.
Tashilat SARL was designated by OFAC in 2007, and Treasury presents it as part of the AQAH/Bayt Al Mal/Yousser financial ecosystem. Treasury stated that Nehme Jamil, a senior AQAH official and the head of AQAH’s auditing and business departments, jointly owned Tashilat with Yazbeck and Shami. Treasury said Tashilat provided mortgage loans after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war and later served as an integral part of operations for AQAH and the already-designated Hezbollah financial institutions Yousser Company and Bayt Al Mal. The Central Bank of Lebanon’s Circular No. 170 barred supervised financial institutions from dealing with internationally sanctioned entities, including Tashilat.
The Auditors for Accounting and Auditing is a Lebanon-based company designated by OFAC in December 2022. Treasury says it was owned, controlled, or directed by Ibrahim Ali Daher, whom it identified as the chief of Hezbollah’s Central Finance Unit, the sub-body of the Executive Council that oversees Hezbollah’s budget. Treasury also claimed that Auditors provides financial services to Hezbollah’s Central Financial Unit.
Al Khobara for Accounting, Auditing, and Studies was designated by OFAC in 2022 for being owned, controlled, and/or directed by longtime AQAH director Adel Mohammad Mansour, whom it said also served as Al Khobara’s CEO. Treasury placed Al Khobara physically and operationally within the AQAH ecosystem, stating that it was located in the AQAH building, provided accounting services to AQAH, and was managed by senior AQAH officials, including Mansour.
Open-source material and leaked AQAH documents point to additional entities operating within Hezbollah’s financial infrastructure that remain undesignated. Among the most notable is the “Center for Developmental and Statistical Studies” (CDSS), which appeared in leaked AQAH documents published by a hacking team called TeamSpiderZ in 2020. The documents described an agreement between AQAH and CDSS, represented by sanctioned AQAH official Ahmad Mohammad Yazbeck and CDSS CEO Haitham Salloum, and categorized the center among entities maintaining accounts and an institutional relationship with AQAH.
CDSS also appears to be linked to the Consultative Center for Studies and Documentation (CCSD), a research and strategic institution affiliated with Hezbollah. CDSS may have originally operated as a separate entity before being absorbed as a division within CCSD, which may explain why the former organization maintains almost no independent online footprint.
The only figure tied to CDSS in open-source documents is engineer Ramez Yassin, who was identified in a 2012 article as the director of CDSS. Notably, Yassin also appeared publicly in connection with Arch Consulting, a Lebanon-based engineering and consulting company sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2020 for being “owned, controlled, or directed by Hezbollah.” In 2025, local Lebanese outlets identified Yassin as speaking on behalf of Arch Consulting during a Hezbollah-backed municipal solar-water project event in Shaath in the Bekaa Valley.
