The United States is cracking down on Hezbollah operatives and its financial providers worldwide. After the Treasury Department blacklisted Lebanon's eighth largest bank on claims of money laundering tied to Hezbollah, Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh visited Washington to salvage the reputation of Lebanon's most viable economic sector, its banks.

Salameh met Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Stuart Levey last week; he said that he was reassured that the decision to blacklist the bank is an isolated incidence and is not part of a larger campaign targeting the Lebanese financial sector. The Lebanese Canadian Bank is now up for sale and three of Lebanon's biggest banks are looking to buy it. The recent crackdown is causing fears that the efforts to crack down on Hezbollah's financial resources might expose other banks in Lebanon.

In a separate incident, a Lebanese-American citizen is being tried in Philadelphia after being charged with providing material support to Hezbollah. Moussa Ali Hamdan was arrested in Paraguay before being extradited back to the US in joint operation between American and Paraguayan intelligence. He is accused of helping Hezbollah with proceeds from the sale of counterfeit money and fake passport and has allegedly raised funds for the group through the sale of counterfeit electronics and leisure wear.

The U.S. has repeatedly raised its concerns about Hezbollah fundraising in Africa and Latin America (Tri-Border Area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay), where Hamdan was detained. Yet with changing political climates in Beirut and Washington, measures against financial institutions and individuals supporting Hezbollah appear to have been infused with a greater sense of urgency. The venerability of Lebanon's banking sector, and the importance of Hezbollah's financial network for the group's operations, could give the U.S. considerable leverage at a time when many argue its influence in the Middle East is in decline.