President Joe Biden has extended the US National Emergency with respect to Lebanon.
“It is necessary to continue the national emergency declared” in 2007, Biden said in a message to the US Congress on Thursday.
“Certain ongoing activities, such as Iran’s continuing arms transfers to Hezbollah — which include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems — serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty, contribute to political and economic instability in the region, and continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” he said.
Biden’s message comes as the Congress discusses a resolution urging the European Union to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
The resolution, which has been presented to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calls on the EU to facilitate better cross-border cooperation between European Union members in combating Hezbollah, issuing arrest warrants against members and active supporters of the group, freezing its assets in Europe, including those masquerading as charities, and prohibiting fundraising activities in support of the party.
The resolution “applauds and expresses support for the continued, increased cooperation between the United States and the European Union in thwarting Hezbollah’s criminal and terrorist activities.”
It also “supports transcontinental efforts within Europe to share intelligence information among police and security services to facilitate greater cooperation in tracking, apprehending, and prosecuting terrorists, foreign fighters, and potential offenders.”
Furthermore, the resolution encourages the EU to implement sanctions against Hezbollah-affiliated terrorists in tandem with Washington.
US Representative Ted Deutch, who is the sponsor of the resolution, said that he sees no difference between the political and military wings of a terrorist organization like Hezbollah.
The resolution says that in July 2019, the Department of the Treasury listed 2 Hezbollah-backed Lebanese lawmakers, Amin Sherri and Mohammad Raad, to the terror blacklist, stating that the party “uses its parliamentary power to advance its violent activities.”
It further says that Hezbollah fighters have been supporting the Assad regime in Syria, and that the party trains and provides weapons for Shiite militias in Iraq and Yemen.
It adds that “Hezbollah activities continue to plague Lebanon with profound economic and political instability and violence.”
