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.
