Germany will not list Iran-allied Hezbollah as terrorist: minister

A top official has said Germany will not ban Hezbollah’s political wing following Britain’s decision to do so. Germany is under pressure from the United States to take hard action against the Lebanese group.

Germany will not declare Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement a terrorist organization, a top official said Friday.
Niels Annen, deputy minister in the Foreign Ministry, told newsmagazine Der Spiegel that the Shiite Islamist movement is a relevant factor in Lebanese society and part of the complex political landscape in the country.
The comments come after Britain last month banned Hezbollah in its entirety, accusing the movement of destabilizing the Middle East.
“The British move is a national decision that has no direct impact on the position of the German government or the EU,” Annen said.
The European Union had already added Hezbollah’s military wing to a list of banned terrorist groups in 2013.
Hezbollah is represented in the Lebanese parliament and holds three of 30 ministries in the government led by Western-backed Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri.
DW
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