U.S. Freezes Assets of Intelligence Director
From Times Wire Reports
The United States froze the U.S. assets of Syrian military intelligence director Asef Shawkat, accusing him of fomenting terrorism against Israel and backing Syria’s role in Lebanon.
The move represented increased pressure on Syria to cooperate with a U.N. inquiry of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a Beirut bomb blast on Feb. 14.
The State Department called Shawkat “a key architect of Syria’s domination of Lebanon.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
