III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 299 

Supporting cooperation between the United States and the European Union 

to thwart Hizballah’s criminal and terrorist activities and to bring 

Hizballah operatives to justice and urging the European Union to designate Hizballah, in its entirety, as a terrorist organization. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 18, 2023 

Ms. ROSEN (for herself and Mrs. BLACKBURN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting cooperation between the United States and the 

European Union to thwart Hizballah’s criminal and terrorist activities and to bring Hizballah operatives to justice and urging the European Union to designate 

Hizballah, in its entirety, as a terrorist organization. 

Whereas, in April 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against the 

United States Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon killed 63 people; 

Whereas, in October 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against 

the United States Marine barracks, in Beirut, Lebanon, 

killed 241 American and 58 French servicemembers supporting the multinational force peacekeeping mission; 


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•SRES 299 IS 

Whereas, in July 2012, a Hizballah terror attack, carried out 

by an operative with dual Lebanese-French citizenship, in 

Burgas, Bulgaria, killed 5 Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian; 

Whereas, in March 2013, a Swedish-Lebanese Hizballah operative in Cyprus was convicted of planning terror attacks against Israeli tourists; 

Whereas, in June 2015, a Hizballah operative was sentenced 

to 6 years in prison after stockpiling more than 8 tons 

of ammonium nitrate in Cyprus; 

Whereas the Hizballah International Financing Prevention 

Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–102) and the Hizballah 

International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 

2018 (Public Law 115–272) broadened financial sector 

sanctions against Hizballah to compel foreign financial 

institutions to refrain from supporting the terrorist 

group; 

Whereas, in May 2018, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Abdullah Safi-Al-Din, Hizballah’s representative to Iran, Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, a 

Hizballah financier, and blacklisted 5 of Mr. Bazzi’s companies, including Belgian energy services conglomerate 

Global Trading Group NV; 

Whereas, in October 2018, French police raided the Islamic 

Zahra Centre on suspicion of supporting Hizballah, froze 

the organization’s funds, and seized illegal weapons; 

Whereas, in September 2020, 4 former leaders of the Zahra 

Centre France were arrested on suspicion of continuing 

to run that organization and supporting Hizballah; 

Whereas, in July 2019, the Department of the Treasury designated 2 Hizballah-backed members of Lebanese ParVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:56 Jul 19, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR299.IS SR299

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•SRES 299 IS 

liament, Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’d, and 

Hizballah security official Wafiq Safa, stating that 

Hizballah uses its operatives in parliament to advance its 

violent activities; 

Whereas, as of April 2021, officials of the Government of 

Germany estimated that 1,250 people with suspected 

links to Hizballah were living in Germany; 

Whereas Europol’s June 2022 European Union Terrorism 

Situation and Trend Report— 

(1) outlined that Hizballah ‘‘has been using the EU 

as a base for fundraising, recruitment, and criminal activities’’; 

(2) stated that Hizballah ‘‘is suspected of managing 

the transportation and distribution of illegal drugs into 

the EU, dealing with firearms trafficking and running 

professional money laundering operations that include the 

provision of money laundering services for other criminal 

organizations’’; 

Whereas the United States-led Project Cassandra and Operation Cedar exposed the criminal-business wing of 

Hizballah, the Business Affairs Component (BAC) of 

Hizballah’s External Security Organization; 

Whereas, during Project Cassandra, Hizballah elements involved in drug trafficking were arrested in the United 

States, in South America, and in several European countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, and Italy; 

Whereas Hizballah’s criminal activities in Europe is run by 

the BAC, which reports to the External Security 

Organisation (also known as Unit 910) or the Islamic 

Jihad Organization, and Abdallah Safieddine, Hizballah’s 


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•SRES 299 IS 

representative in Iran, is also involved in such criminal 

activities; 

Whereas, in August 2020, United Nations Secretary General 

Anto ́nio Guterres called on Lebanon to disarm Hizballah, 

citing the terror group’s persistent violation of United 

Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006); 

Whereas Iran, which is the prime sponsor of Hizballah, harbors, finances, trains, and arms the terrorist organization; 

Whereas the Department of Treasury and the Department of 

State estimate that Iran provides as much as 

$700,000,000 each year to Hizballah in the form of financial and logistical support, weapons, and training; 

Whereas Hizballah has an arsenal of approximately 150,000 

missiles and rockets with increased sophistication, many 

of which can reach deep into Israel; 

Whereas Hizballah fighters have been supporting the Assad 

regime in Syria and have often led operations in the conflict, which has left more than 500,000 dead; 

Whereas Hizballah trains and provides weapons for militias 

in Iraq and Yemen, which further destabilizes the region, 

and perpetuates violence in those countries; 

Whereas Hizballah activities continue to plague Lebanon with 

profound economic and political instability and violence; 

Whereas Hizballah’s cross-border illicit arms and drugs trafficking undermines the Lebanese Armed Forces, which is 

the legitimate security establishment of the country, as 

outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 

1701 (2006); 


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•SRES 299 IS 

Whereas, in October 2012, Hizballah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem stated that ‘‘[Hizballah does not] have 

a military wing and a political one . . . Every element 

of Hizballah, from commanders to members as well as 

our various capabilities, are in the service of the resistance’’; 

Whereas the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, 

the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, 

Serbia, and Kosovo, and other countries have declared 

Hizballah, in its entirety, a terrorist organization; 

Whereas, in March 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council formally branded Hizballah, in its entirety, a terrorist organization, and the League of Arab States adopted the 

same designation shortly thereafter; 

Whereas the Department of the Treasury has diligently 

added persons and entities to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists who have provided material 

support to the Hizballah terrorist organization, thereby 

hampering its financing and logistical capabilities; 

Whereas the European Union, in July 2013, designated 

Hizballah’s so-called ‘‘military wing’’ a terrorist organization; 

Whereas, despite restrictions put on Hizballah since the designation of its military wing as a terrorist organization, 

Hizballah continues to conduct illicit narcotrafficking, 

money laundering, and weapons trafficking throughout 

Europe and around the world; and 

Whereas in July 2016, the United States Senate, through 

Senate Resolution 482, called on the European Union to 

designate Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organization: Now, therefore, be it 


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•SRES 299 IS 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) applauds and expresses support for the con3 tinued, increased cooperation between the United 

4 States and the European Union in thwarting 

5 Hizballah’s criminal and terrorist activities; 

6 (2) supports transcontinental efforts within Eu7 rope to share intelligence information among police 

8 and security services to facilitate greater cooperation 

9 in tracking, apprehending, and prosecuting 

10 Hizballah operatives; 

11 (3) encourages the European Union to imple12 ment sanctions against Hizballah-affiliated terrorists 

13 in tandem with the United States; 

14 (4) recommends greater civil society engage15 ment in both the United States and Europe to un16 derscore Hizballah’s malign regional influence; and 

17 (5) urges the European Union to designate 

18 Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organization 

19 and to increase pressure on the group, including 

20 by— 

21 (A) facilitating better cross-border coopera22 tion between European Union members in com23 bating Hizballah; 

24 (B) issuing arrest warrants against mem25 bers and active supporters of Hizballah; 


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•SRES 299 IS 

1 (C) freezing Hizballah’s assets in Europe, 

2 including assets controlled by organizations 

3 masquerading as charities; and 

4 (D) prohibiting fundraising activities in 

5 support of Hizballah. 

Æ 


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