US offers $5 million for information on Lebanese adviser to Hezbollah

The US announced on Sunday that it is offering a $5 million reward to anyone who provides information to the State Department on a Lebanese man connected with Lebanon's Hezbollah group. 

Khalil Yusif Harb allegedly took part in smuggling large amounts of money to Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

He is also "a close adviser to Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hizballah terrorist group, and has served as the group’s chief military liaison to Iranian and Palestinian terrorist organisations", the Rewards for Justice programme run by the US State Department announced. 

"Harb has commanded and supervised the organisation’s military operations in the Palestinian territories and several countries throughout the Middle East," they added.

In 2013, the US Department of the Treasury officially labelled Harb as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in line with Executive Order 13224 signed by then-president George W. Bush in 2001 in response to the September 11 attacks. 

Earlier in May, the US imposed sanctions on two Houthi military leaders who were leading an offensive in gas-rich Marib, northern Yemen. 

Saudi Arabia joined efforts and called for a ceasefire in the country and for an air and sea transit to be opened for Yemen to receive humanitarian aid to civilians and internally displaced people in the area.