Arab League Designates Hezbollah as ‘Terrorist’ Group
Foreign ministers of Arab League member states issued a resolution designating Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a “terrorist group.” Lebanon and Iraq opposed this position. The Arab League has 22 member countries.
Following the “Gulf Cooperation Council” which designated Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a “terrorist group,” it is now the Arab League’s turn. Foreign ministers of this organization at their 145th session on Friday (March 11) in Cairo designated Hezbollah as a “terrorist group.”
Iran supports Lebanon’s Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia’s official news agency “SPA” reported one day before the Arab League meeting that a four-party Arab committee (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates) would be responsible for following developments in the crisis with Iran and agreed to take measures to counter “Iran’s hostile policies against regional countries and Iranian interference.”
Read more: Gulf Cooperation Council: Lebanon’s Hezbollah is a Terrorist Organization
At the Cairo meeting, all Arab League member states except Lebanon and Iraq supported the Arab League’s decision to recognize Lebanon’s Hezbollah as a terrorist group. The League had suspended Syria’s membership since November 2011.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Defends Hezbollah and Popular Mobilization Forces
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq’s foreign minister, in his speech on March 11 at the Arab League meeting, criticized the Gulf Cooperation Council’s decision to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist group and said: “Those who accuse Hezbollah and the Popular Mobilization Forces (Shiite paramilitary forces in Iraq) of terrorism are themselves terrorists.”
Read more: Iran Condemns Designation of Lebanon’s Hezbollah as Terrorist
Al-Arabiya television network, which is close to Saudi Arabia’s positions, reported: “Iraq’s foreign minister rejected the accusation against Lebanon’s Hezbollah of terrorism and described it as an ‘Arab party.’ Al-Jaafari emphasized in his speech that Hezbollah and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces have maintained Arab dignity.”
According to Al-Arabiya, members of the Saudi Arabian delegation at the Arab League meeting, after hearing al-Jaafari’s remarks and his defense of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, temporarily left the meeting hall in protest and returned to the session after al-Jaafari’s speech.
Recently, Saudi Arabia announced that it is cutting its military and security assistance to Lebanon. Saudi Arabia was set to provide nearly three billion dollars in aid to the Lebanese army and approximately one billion dollars to Lebanon’s security organization. Saudi Arabia’s decision came after Lebanon’s foreign minister did not support a resolution issued at the conclusion of the Arab foreign ministers’ meeting against Iran and in support of Saudi Arabia.
Read more: Arab League Support for Saudi Arabia Against Iran
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah have intensified, particularly with this group’s involvement in Syria’s civil war and its support for Bashar al-Assad. Hezbollah is under the support of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Many Arab countries are concerned about Iran’s influence through Hezbollah and similar groups.
In addition to the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, the United States, Canada, and the European Union have also classified Hezbollah on the list of terrorist groups.
