The US Congress last December passed a law imposing sanctions on banks engaged in business with the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia paramilitary movement Hezbollah. The Lebanese government promptly said that, with international banking a key pillar of the economy, it will fully comply with the ‘Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015.’

But there’s a key problem: Hezbollah is part of the government of the deeply divided country. The Shia community from where it draws its support is thought by most estimates to be the most numerous of Lebanon’s myriad sects. (CONTINUED - 1075 WORDS)