BEIRUT (Reuters) – Prominent Christian politician Gebran Bassil, the son-in-law of Lebanon’s president, said on Sunday that U.S. sanctions against him were unjust and politically motivated and came after he refused to break ties with Hezbollah to protect Lebanon.
Bassil, in a televised speech, denied U.S. accusations of corruption. “These sanctions are an injustice and I will fight them and sue for damages,” he said.
The United States on Friday blacklisted Bassil, the leader of Lebanon’s biggest Christian political bloc, accusing him of corruption and ties to the Iranian-backed Shi’ite Hezbollah movement that Washington deems a terrorist group.
(Reporting by Laila Bassam and Ghaida Ghantous; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous)
