Germany Interior Ministry bans Hezbollah, designated Shiite group a terrorist organization

(AFP)

Germany has banned all Iran-backed Hezbollah activity on its soil and designated it a terrorist group , the inside Ministry said on Thursday.

Police also conducted early morning raids on mosque associations in four cities across Germany. Security officials believe up to 1,050 people in Germany are a part of Hezbollah’s extremist wing.

Israel and therefore the us had been pushing Germany to ban the organization. Germany had previously distinguished between Hezbollah’s political arm and its military units, which have fought alongside President Bashar Assad’s army in Syria.

A spokesman said Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had banned the activities of Hezbollah.

“Even in times of crisis, the rule of law is capable of acting,” tweeted the spokesman.

A heavily armed Shiite Islamist group already designated a terrorist group by the us , Hezbollah is additionally a big backer of the govt of Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, which took office in January.

Jewish groups hailed the move as a landmark decision.





“This may be a welcome, much-anticipated, and significant German decision,” said American Jewish Committee head David Harris.

“We now hope other European nations will take an in depth check out Germany’s decision and reach an equivalent conclusion about truth nature of Hezbollah,” said Harris.

The EU classifies Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist organization , but not its political wing.

Last December, Germany’s parliament approved a motion urging Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to ban all activities by Hezbollah on German soil, citing its “terrorist activities” especially in Syria.

On a visit to Berlin last year, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped Germany would follow Britain in banning Hezbollah. Britain introduced legislation in February of last year that classified Hezbollah as a terrorist group .

Police raided four mosque associations in Dortmund and Muenster within the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Berlin which they believe are on the brink of Hezbollah, the inside ministry said.

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