RFE/RLSat, 30 May 2020 06:39 UTC
FILE PHOTO: A Hizballah supporter holds up portraits of the group's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (right), and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a religious commemoration in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Germany has banned Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hizballah's activities on its soil and designated it a terrorist organization, a move welcomed by Tehran's rivals the United States and Israel.
"Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has banned the Shi'ite terrorist organization Hizballah in Germany," Interior Ministry spokesman Steve Alter
tweeted on April 30.
The announcement came after German police conducted early morning raids in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen, and the capital, Berlin, to detain suspected members of the group.
Hizballah has already been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and Israel.U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell welcomed the move and urged other EU countries to follow suit.
The German ban "reflects the resolve of the West to confront the global threat posed by [Hizballah]," Grenell said in a statement, adding that the group "cannot be allowed to use Europe as a safe haven to support terrorism in Syria and across the Middle East."
Grenell's statement was echoed by Iran's archfoe Israel, which also called on other European countries to follow Berlin's example.
"It is a very important decision and a valuable and significant step in the global fight against terrorism," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.
Germany had previously distinguished between Hizballah's political arm and its military units, which have fought alongside President Bashar al-Assad's army in Syria.The group is also a significant backer of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab's government which took office in January.As many as 1,050 people in Germany are part of Hizballah's extremist wing, security officials estimate.
Comment: RT
reports:
Police descended on several mosques and cultural centers - believed to be linked to Hezbollah - in Berlin as well as North Rhine-Westphalia and Bremen. Flats occupied by their leaders, treasurers, and tax advisers were also searched.
© REUTERS/Hannibal HanschkeGerman police raid premises of an association linked to Hezbollah in Berlin
Germany began to float the idea of banning Hezbollah last year, with the debate being fueled by US Ambassador Richard Grenell. The notorious envoy blasted the "artificial distinction," insisting that "Hezbollah makes no such distinction."
The center-right CDU and CSU parties teamed up with the Social Democrats and the liberal Free Democrats, submitting a corresponding request to the government in December 2019.
© REUTERS/Hannibal HanschkeGerman special police team gather near the El-Irschad (Al-Irschad e.V.) centre in Berlin
The US, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, and the UK all banned Hezbollah back in March 2019.
Founded in the 1980s during Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon, the Shia organization has risen to prominence within Lebanese politics, taking part in governing coalitions while maintaining its armed presence along the border with Israel.
Iran and
Syria condemns Germany's
decision:
"The decision of the German government is completely disrespectful to the government and people of Lebanon since Hezbollah is an official and legitimate part of the government and the parliament", Mousavi said in a statement.
On 30 April, spokesman for the German Interior Ministry Steve Alter said that Minister Horst Seehofer had banned the activities of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement across the country.
In addition, the lawmakers insisted that the government, together with international partners, take measures to reduce the influence of Hezbollah in the Middle East, especially in Syria. However, they requested a ban of only the movement's activities and not the movement itself, since the existence of social and organizational structures of Hezbollah in Germany has not been established.
"Syria strongly condemns the German government's decision to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization", the ministry said, as quoted by the SANA news agency. According to Damascus, Germany's decision was taken under the pressure of Israel and the United States.
See also:
Comment: RT reports: Iran and Syria condemns Germany's decision: See also: