Hezbollah allies reject US pressure after rare sanctions

A powerful political group allied with the Hezbollah terror group is denouncing US sanctions against one of its senior members, saying they infringe on Lebanon’s sovereignty and will not succeed in extracting any concessions.

The statement by the Shiite Amal group headed by Lebanon’s longtime Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri comes a day after the US Treasury sanctioned two former cabinet ministers who are allied with Hezbollah.

The new sanctions — a rare move by Washington targeting politicians close to the Iran-backed Hezbollah — sent a strong political message to local allies of the group, including President Michel Aoun, who maintains a political alliance with Hezbollah.

The Amal group says in a statement released after a meeting of its leadership that the sanctions will not make the group change its policies, adding that no matter how much the pressure increases it “will not make concessions” regarding Lebanon’s sea and land border.

— AP