BEIRUT, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah on Thursday condemned new U.S. sanctions targeting Lebanese members of parliament, security officials, and members of Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, describing the measures as an attempt to intimidate the Lebanese people and support Israel's actions against Lebanon.
The sanctions, announced by the U.S. Treasury and State Departments on Thursday, targeted figures including senior Hezbollah official and former minister Mohammed Fneish, Hezbollah MPs Hassan Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Moussawi, and Hussein Hajj Hassan, as well as General Security and military intelligence officials accused by Washington of supporting Hezbollah, according to media reports.
In a statement, Hezbollah said the sanctions were aimed at pressuring Lebanon into abandoning what it called its legitimate right to resist Israeli aggression.
The group said Washington's accusations against its MPs and officials centered on their refusal to disarm the resistance and reject what it described as "surrender projects" promoted by the United States in favor of Israel.
Hezbollah described the sanctions as a "badge of honor" for those targeted and said the measures reaffirmed its political stance and would not affect its political choices or the work of those targeted.
The statement also criticized the inclusion of Lebanese security officers in the sanctions list ahead of meetings at the Pentagon, calling it an attempt to intimidate Lebanon's official security institutions.
Hezbollah urged Lebanese authorities to defend the country's constitutional, military, and security institutions to preserve national sovereignty and dignity. ■
