"The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on four Myanmar military leaders, including the commander-in-chief, in the toughest action taken yet by Washington for alleged human rights abuses against the Rohingya and other minorities. The sanctions targeted military chief Min Aung Hlaing on the same day that Myanmar’s civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, attended the first day hearings at the U.N.’s highest court in The Hague, where she will lead Myanmar’s defense against the charge of genocide. A 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. United Nations investigators have said Myanmar’s operation included mass killings, gang rapes and widespread arson and was executed with “genocidal intent.” Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, denied accusations of widespread abuses and said the military’s actions were part of a fight against terrorism. The U.S Treasury Department said in a statement on Tuesday Burmese military forces had committed “serious human rights abuse” under Min Aung Hlaing’s command..."