‘Global terrorist’: US announces new sanctions against Iran-backed militia groups
‘Global terrorist’: Designating the Iran-backed militia groups as 'Specially Designated Global Terrorists,' United States announced new sanctions against Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) and its secretary-general, Hashim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji.
In the official statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “KSS terrorist activity has threatened the lives of both US and Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS personnel in Iraq and Syria."
Blinken said , "Iran, through the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its external operations force known as the Qods Force, has supported KSS, KH, and other Iran-aligned militia groups with training, funding, and sophisticated weapons--including increasingly accurate and lethal unmanned aerial systems.”
Moreover, US Treasury Department has also sanctioned six individuals affiliated with the Iran-aligned militia group Kata'ib Hizballah (KH).
"KSS, working at times with other US-designated organisations, including KH and Harakat al-Nujaba, has planned and supported attacks against US personnel."
Notably, Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. The United States remains committed to using all available tools to counter Iran's support for terrorism and degrade and disrupt the ability of Iran-backed groups to conduct terrorist attacks.
Meanwhile, the death toll from the Hamas massacre at the Re'im music festival on October 7 has been revised to 364, constituting nearly one-third of all those killed during the onslaught in Israel.
Surprisingly, the investigation reveals that 40 festival attendees were taken hostage in Gaza, providing new insights into the extent of the tragedy.
As the investigation unfolds, these developments shed new light on the scale and complexity of the tragic event, emphasising the need for a thorough examination of the circumstances surrounding the Hamas attack at the Re'im music festival.
Meanwhile, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that the IDF doesn't plan to keep soldiers inside Gaza after the war, even if Israel will maintain security control over the Strip for the foreseeable future.
He said that Israel will not be able to accept anyone who shares Hamas' goals and the terror group's inculcation of teaching Palestinian children that Israel has to be destroyed.
- With inputs from agencies
