Abu Dhabi orders asset freezes within 24 hours amid heightened regional tensions and ongoing concerns over Iran-backed networks
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The United Arab Emirates on Wednesday designated 21 Lebanese individuals and organizations as “terrorists,” ordering the immediate freezing of their assets over alleged links to the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, according to the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The UAE said the measures target 16 Lebanese nationals and five Lebanon-based organizations accused of supporting groups classified by Abu Dhabi as terrorist organizations.
“The United Arab Emirates has designated 21 individuals and entities on its Local Terrorist List over their links to Lebanon’s Hezbollah,” WAM reported.
Under the directive, UAE regulatory authorities have been instructed to identify individuals or entities connected financially or commercially to those listed and to take all necessary legal measures, including freezing assets within less than 24 hours.
The move comes amid heightened regional security tensions following the recent Middle East conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. During the confrontation, the UAE — home to a large Lebanese expatriate community and one of the Gulf’s major financial and commercial hubs — was among the principal targets of Iranian missile and drone attacks.
Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese armed and political movement backed by Iran, entered the regional conflict by launching attacks against Israel following the killing of Iran’s supreme leader during the escalation.
The group has long been designated as a terrorist organization by several Arab and Western states, though it also maintains a significant political presence inside Lebanon.
In March, Abu Dhabi announced the arrest of five members of what it described as a “terrorist network” linked to Hezbollah and Iran, alleging that the group aimed to threaten the UAE’s financial stability and national security.
Hezbollah, however, denied maintaining any operational or commercial presence inside the UAE. The group said it does not operate in the Emirates “under any cover or commercial designation or otherwise.”
The latest Emirati measures reflect a broader Gulf trend toward intensified monitoring of financial networks and organizations suspected of links to Iran-backed armed groups across the region.
Gulf states, particularly the UAE and Saudi Arabia, have increasingly framed Hezbollah not only as a Lebanese faction but as part of a wider transnational network aligned with Iranian regional influence.
Relations between several Gulf countries and Hezbollah have remained strained for years, especially amid accusations that the group has supported armed activity and political destabilization efforts beyond Lebanon’s borders.
The UAE previously designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and has periodically imposed sanctions and restrictions targeting individuals and entities allegedly connected to the movement.
The new designations also come as Lebanon continues to grapple with severe economic collapse, political paralysis, and growing regional isolation, conditions that have further intensified scrutiny over Hezbollah’s political and military role within the country.