عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Germany Classifies Hezbollah as Terrorist Organization

Lebanon’s Hezbollah members carry Hezbollah flags during the funeral of a fellow fighter, in al-Ghaziyeh village, southern Lebanon May 26, 2015. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho
Lebanon’s Hezbollah members carry Hezbollah flags during the funeral of a fellow fighter, in al-Ghaziyeh village, southern Lebanon May 26, 2015. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho
TT
TT

Germany Classifies Hezbollah as Terrorist Organization

Lebanon’s Hezbollah members carry Hezbollah flags during the funeral of a fellow fighter, in al-Ghaziyeh village, southern Lebanon May 26, 2015. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho
Lebanon’s Hezbollah members carry Hezbollah flags during the funeral of a fellow fighter, in al-Ghaziyeh village, southern Lebanon May 26, 2015. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho

Germany has banned activity by Lebanon's Hezbollah on its soil and designated it a terrorist organization, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

Police conducted early morning raids in Germany to detain suspected members of the group. Security officials believe up to 1,050 people in Germany are part of Hezbollah's military wing.

“Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has banned the Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah in Germany," tweeted a ministry spokesman.

"Even in times of crisis, the rule of law is capable of acting," he added.

Germany had previously distinguished between Hezbollah's political arm and its military units.

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 trip 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 the group as a terrorist organization.

Israel on Thursday applauded Germany's decision as "a significant step in the global fight against terrorism."

"It is a very important decision," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, urging the European Union "to do the same."

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Libya’s Parliament Approves Appointment of Belqasem as New Central Bank Governor

Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)
Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Libya’s Parliament Approves Appointment of Belqasem as New Central Bank Governor

Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)
Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)

Libya’s eastern parliament on Monday agreed to appoint Naji Mohamed Issa Belqasem as the new central bank governor after the former governor, Sadiq al-Kabir, was fired last month by the presidential council in the capital, Tripoli.

Parliament spokesperson Abdullah Bliheg said Monday that all 108 lawmakers voted in favor of appointing Belqasem, who previously was the central bank’s director of banking and monetary control.

The parliament also appointed Mari Muftah Rahil Barrasi as his deputy. Belqasem and Barrasi are expected to form a new board of directors for the central bank within 10 days.

The decision came as part of a UN-facilitated agreement between the parliament and the High Council of State to appoint new leadership for the country’s central bank.

Last month, the presidential council issued a decree to appoint Mohamed Abdul Salam al-Shukri, the former deputy governor, as a replacement for al-Kabir. The presidential council in Tripoli is allied with Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU).

However, the country’s eastern parliament and the Supreme Council of State, an advisory body based in the capital, said removing al-Kabir was was an illegitimate move and that such a decision should have been made in coordination with both bodies. That is according to interim regulations agreed upon during UN-backed talks that help oversee the unity of the country’s institutions.

Al-Kabir served as the central bank’s governor since October 2011, the year when Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising overthrew the country’s longtime leader, Moammar al-Gadhafi.

During the months that led up to his removal, al-Kabir was criticized by officials from both sides of the North African nation’s political divide over the allocation of Libya’s oil money.