Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz praised Germany’s move. ” I applaud the German govt for the decision to designate Hezbollah a terror organization.In my conversations with German Foreign MinisterHeiko Maas, he promised to help and I thank him,” Katz tweeted. “Hezbollah is a terrorist organization & must be treated as such.”
The minister called on other European countries and the EU to do the same. In 2013, the EU banned Hezbollah’s military wing but not its political work in Europe. The UK designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in February last year.
German has decided to ban all activities of Hezbollah on German soil as the country’s authorities have classified the Lebanese Shiite group as a terrorist organization.
Raids took place in several German federal states concurrently, a spokesperson for German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said on Thursday. He said that even in times of crisis, the “rule of law is able to act.”
The police raids are focused on four mosque associations in Berlin, Dortmund, Bremen and Münster accused of belonging to Hezbollah.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Haas said that Hzebollah ”denies Israel’s right to exist, threatens with violence and terror and massively upgrades its rocket arsenal.”
His Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz praised Germany’s move. ” I applaud the German govt for the decision to designate Hezbollah a terror organization.In my conversations with German Foreign MinisterHeiko Maas, he promised to help and I thank him,” Katz tweeted. “Hezbollah is a terrorist organization & must be treated as such.”
The minister called on other European countries and the EU to do the same. In 2013, the EU banned Hezbollah’s military wing but not its political work in Europe. The UK designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in February last year.
Authorities estimate that around 1,050 people in Germany are active members of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah has been accused of carrying out a series of bombings against Jewish and Israeli targets and is classified a terrorist organisation by the US, Israel, Gulf Arab countries and the Arab League.
Last December, the Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, approved a motion urging the government to ban all Hezbollah activities in the country, citing its “terrorist activities,” particularly in Syria.
Hezbollah — the Party of God — wields considerable power in Lebanon. It backs the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, which took office in January.
The organization’s military units have fought alongside President Bashar Assad’s army in Syria.
Hezbollah has been headed by Hassan Nasrallah since 1992.
Hezbollah maintains close ties with Iran and is seen by many as an extension of the Iranian regime. According to Nathan Sales, the coordinator for counter-terrorism within the US Department of State, Iran provides Hezbollah’s Lebanon chapter with over $700 million (€643 million) per year, while the group’s annual budget is estimated to be around $1 billion.
Within that financing mechanism, Hezbollah makes an estimated $300 million per year through international transactions, including drug smuggling and trafficking in counterfeit products.