The U.S. Department of the Treasury, through the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), announced on February 10, 2026, new designations in its List of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) as part of its counter-terrorism financing strategy, focusing on networks linked to Hezbollah and their international economic structures.
The measures include individuals, companies, vessels, and logistical networks allegedly used to move financial and operational resources associated with the organization, which is classified as terrorist by Washington.
Sanctioned Individuals and Structures
Among those designated is Russian citizen Andrey Viktorovich Borisov, marked for exposure to secondary sanctions under regulations related to Hezbollah financing, as well as Lebanese national Mohamed Nayef Maged, associated with the financial institution Al-Qard al-Hassan, identified by the U.S. as an economic arm of the group.
The package also includes companies with a presence in Panama, Turkey, and Lebanon, allegedly used as commercial, financial, and logistical platforms. Notably, these include:
Brilliance Maritime Ventures S.A. (Panama)
Jood SARL (Lebanon), linked to the trade of jewelry and precious metals
Platinum Group International Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi (Turkey)
Sea Surf Shipping Limited (Turkey)
Additionally, several commercial vessels—including the ships “Brilliance” and “Lara”—were sanctioned for allegedly facilitating financial and logistical operations related to these networks.
Blow to International Financing
Inclusion on the SDN list results in the freezing of assets under U.S. jurisdiction, a ban on transactions with U.S. citizens or companies, and the risk of secondary sanctions for international actors maintaining trade links with the designated parties.
Washington argues that these structures are part of a global ecosystem that enables Hezbollah to diversify its income sources through maritime trade, precious metals, financial intermediation, and transnational business networks.
This specific designation does not mention any entity, individual, or asset directly linked to Venezuela. The Venezuelan regime and state or private companies in the country are also not referenced in the official announcement.
However, the broader geopolitical context keeps Venezuela on the radar of U.S. authorities regarding illicit financing and links to Middle Eastern actors. Previous investigations by the Department of Justice and Congress have pointed to possible historical connections between chavista networks, Iran, and Hezbollah, particularly in terms of logistics, documentation, and intelligence.
The absence of references in this update doesn’t rule out ongoing investigations or developing files; it merely indicates that this specific action focuses on financial and commercial nodes located in Russia, Lebanon, Panama, and Turkey.
Strategic Scenario
This decision aligns with Washington’s strategy to sever the chains of terrorism financing beyond the military scope, targeting its global economic architecture: trade, maritime transport, informal banking, and shell companies.
This approach reinforces pressure on hybrid networks operating at the intersection of organized crime, international trade, and ideological structures, highlighting that the financial front remains one of the main battlegrounds in the U.S. anti-terrorism policy for 2026.