Treasury Designates Senior Syrian Officials

By Matthew Levitt

The U.S. Treasury Department designated two senior Syrian officials "Specially Designated Nationals" (SDN) today under Executive Order 13338 for directing Syria's military and security presence in Lebanon and/or contributing to Syria's support for terrorism.

The designations of Ghazi Kanaan, the former chief of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon and current Syrian Minister of Interior, and Rustum Ghazali, Kanaan's protege and successor as chief of Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon, are significant steps given the men's prominence in the Syrian hierarchy.

Among the most interesting information made public in the fact sheet that accompanied the designations are revelations about Kanaan's personal role in facilitating Syrian state sponsorship of Hezbollah. According to "information available to the U.S. Government," Kanaan personally delivered a convoy of three rockets from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2002. In May 2001, Kanaan met with Hezbollah "security leaders" and secured a pledge from Hezbollah not to excute military operations without first notifying Syria. At that same meeting, however, Hezbollah agreed to continue its "casing and reconnaissance" operations.

For more on Syrian state sponsorship of terror see "Syrian Sponsorship of Global Terrorism: The Need for Accountability." For more on Hezbollah, see �Hizballah Finances: Funding the Party of God."

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