The United States government is preparing to impose anti-corruption sanctions against prominent Lebanese politicians and business figures in an attempt to weaken Hezbollah's influence in the country, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Since last week's explosion... killed at least 200 people and injured thousands... Washington has accelerated efforts to blacklist Lebanese leaders aligned with the Shia movement....
US officials see unrest in the country as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Hezbollah and its allies, said the paper, as Lebanon seeks billions of dollars in international aid to rebuild Beirut.
Lebanon has been rocked by protests in recent days, with thousands taking to the capital's rubble-strewn streets to vent their anger and frustation, and demand the overthrow of a system which they say has lost all legitimacy.
On Monday, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his government resigned, setting up a new tussle over who should lead the country.
"Some of us are hoping we can finally take advantage of the situation to shake things up among the political elites there," one US official told the Journal.
"It seems to me that concurrent local popular outrage and well-thought-out external pressure can force some big changes in how the elites do business politically, not to mention financially, with respect to Hezbollah."
Officials told the Journal that the sanctions would serve two goals: ensuring Hezbollah did not maintain its presence in Lebanese politics, and making sure the political class tackled endemic corruption.
According to the Journal, the sanctions would freeze any assets certain individuals might have in US jurisdictions, and would also halt their travel to the country.
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