Hezbollah calls UK terror ban an insult to the Lebanese people

Hezbollah has condemned the British government for its decision to list it as a terror group, calling it an “insult” to the Lebanese people.

Earlier this week, the UK proscribed the Lebanese Shia group’s political wing as a terrorist organisation, after previously distinguishing it from its military branch.

Hezbollah said in a statement that the decision was motivated by “servile obedience to the US administration,” and said that “the British government is but a mere follower in service of its American master.”

“The British government has insulted the sentiments and the will of the Lebanese people by adopting this decision,” it added.

The UK move comes amid a new campaign by the US to isolate Iran and its proxies. The ban makes membership of the group or supporting it a criminal offence with a potential jail sentence of up to 10 years.

Announcing the decision on Monday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Hezbollah is continuing in its attempts to destabilise the fragile situation in the Middle East, and we are no longer able to distinguish between their already banned military wing and the political party.”

The UK provides the Lebanese army with military aid and training, but has grown concerned over Hezbollah’s growing role in the government.

The Lebanese prime minister, Saad Hariri, said the decision should not affect ties between the two countries.

“We consider that this matter pertains to Britain, not Lebanon” he said.

Hezbollah was founded in the early 1980s with the support of Iran, and spent much of its early existence fighting the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.

Following Lebanon’s devastating 1975-1990 civil war, Hezbollah was the only militia in the country which didn’t fully disarm, justifying its weapons as a necessary deterrent to another Israeli invasion.

In recent years, it has played a key role in the Syrian civil war, intervening on the side of its ally, Bashar al-Assad. The group said it was motivated by a desire to stop the war spreading to Lebanon, but it also sought to protect the main delivery route for weapons from Iran, and prevent a majority Sunni opposition taking power.

Today, Hezbollah is the most powerful armed group in Lebanon, surpassing even the country’s national army. That military power has given it a significant influence over the government’s decision making.

But it is also a dominant political force. In the country’s last elections, held in May 2018, Hezbollah’s political bloc emerged as the largest in parliament. The group named three cabinet members in the current government, two of whom belong to the organisation.

The Trump administration has introduced sweeping sanctions on Iran – which it characterises as the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism – and its Shia proxies in the region, Hezbollah being the largest.

Key financiers and entities tied to the group have been targeted by the US Treasury in a clear effort of containment, and Mr Trump has urged other members of the UN Security Council to work with America to ensure Iran never acquires a nuclear bomb.

Source: Independent