US Sanctions Bill Aims to Curb Hezbollah’s Destabilizing Regional Influence

A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
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US Sanctions Bill Aims to Curb Hezbollah’s Destabilizing Regional Influence

A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Democratic and Republican representatives have urged the European Union to include the Lebanese Hezbollah on the list of terrorist organizations.

US Rep. Ted Deutch, the chairman of the US House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, introduced a resolution, saying in a statement: “Currently, the EU only includes Hezbollah’s military wing – and not its political wing – on its list of sanctioned terrorist organizations.”

“The United States makes no distinction between its branches and includes Hezbollah in its entirety on the US Foreign Terrorist Organization list.”

“When you are dealing with a ruthless terrorist organization like Hezbollah, there is no distinction between political and militant wings,” Deutch stated.

He lauded many European countries for taking action to ban Hezbollah, as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council have also done.

“But we need the European Union to cease allowing Hezbollah’s so-called political wing to freely operate by joining us in fully targeting this terrorist group and its global criminal network,” Deutch added.

US Rep. Kathy Manning stressed the importance of the bill, saying Hezbollah was a terrorist organization responsible for the deaths of thousands of civilians in the Middle East and around the world.

“The influence of the party and its role in dismantling Lebanon is devastating, as it enhances Iran’s destabilizing influence and threatens the entire region,” she said.



Türkiye's AJet to Start Flights to Syria's Damascus

A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
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Türkiye's AJet to Start Flights to Syria's Damascus

A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)
A United Nations airliner is pictured on the tarmac of the closed Damascus International Airport on December 11, 2024, three days after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. (AFP)

Turkish Airlines subsidiary AJet said it will start flights to Damascus International from Istanbul and Ankara airports in mid-June.

AJet said in a statement that flights from Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport will begin from June 16.

Flights will initially take place four times per week before operating daily from July, it added, Reuters reported.

Flights to Damascus from the Turkish capital Ankara will start from June 17, three-times per week, the carrier also said.

Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Damascus in January after a 13-year suspension.

Türkiye, a close ally of the new government in Damascus, has pledged to support the country's reconstruction.

Ankara has already helped with the improvement and maintenance of Syria's airports, the Turkish transport minister has said.