US lauds Germany for banning Hezbollah activities on its soil

The United States has praised Germany for banning Hezbollah after German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer prohibited the Islamist group's activities on its soil. Germany on April 30 announced that it is banning the Lebanon-based militant group from operating on its soil before conducting raids on four mosque associations in different cities. US Envoy to Germany, Richard Grenell, welcomed the move and lauded Berlin for recognising Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. Richard Grenell also called on other European nations to follow the footsteps of Germany and urged them to take similar action. 

Read: German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer Prohibits Hezbollah Activities

According to reports, most European nations have banned just the military wing of the group while allowing its powerful political wing to operate. Germany decided to change its stance on Thursday as a spokesperson for the interior ministry tweeted that Seehofer has prohibited the operation of the Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah (Party of God) in Germany today and police measures have been taking place in several federal states. Germany had earlier banned Hezbollah-linked fundraising organisation they say had raised millions of dollars for the militant group. 

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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas took to Twitter to explain his country's decision to ban the Islamist group. Maas in his tweet wrote that Hezbollah denies Israel's right to exist, threatening with terror attacks, hence, "It is important that Germany exhausts the means of the rule of law to take action against criminal and terrorist activities of Hezbollah." Benny Grantz, leader of the Blue and White party and to-be defence minister in the upcoming government, welcomed Germany's move to declare Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. "This is a significant step in the global fight against terrorism," Grantz tweeted. 

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Hezbollah

According to reports, the group is considered a terrorist organisation by countries such as the United States, Canada, Israel, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Colombia, Venezuela, the Arab League, among others. It is alleged that Hezbollah works as a proxy for Iran in the ongoing Iran–Israel proxy conflict. The group was founded in 1985 and its leaders were followers of Ayatollah Khomeini, the first Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hezbollah is credited in its home country for driving out the Israeli forces from the south in early 2000. To bring into perspective the influence that Hezbollah enjoys in Lebanon would be the simple fact that its paramilitary wing is considered more powerful than the Lebanese Army.

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(Image Credit: AP)