Hezbollah criticises EU decision to blacklist its armed wing

Hezbollah announced on Tuesday that it rejected the European Union (EU) decision to include the insurgent group's armed wing in the list of terrorist organizations. Issuing a statement, the Shi'ite group condemned the decision, saying "It would cause losses and disappointment to list the armed wing of Hezbollah among the terrorist organizations, an aggressive and unjust decision as a result of EU's obedience to the White House and Israel." Hezbollah parliamentary member al-Walid Soukariah told reporters that Europe, by taking this decision, puts itself into "confrontation with this segment of people in our region". Soukariah noted that “Hezbollah isn’t a terrorist group with plans to commit acts of terror in Europe, which is religiously forbidden. Our resistance is different.” Hezbollah MP added that the EU’s move would not have an impact on the group’s operations. "This step won't affect Hezbollah or the resistance. The resistance is present on Lebanese territory and not in Europe. It is not a terrorist group to carry out terrorist attacks in Europe, which is forbidden by religion," he argued. Hezbollah functions as a political party as part of the Lebanese government and as a militia with thousands of guerrillas under arms. Members of the Lebanese parliament from other parties also expressed concerns over the possible implications of the decision for Lebanon. The Lebanese government had previously urged Brussels not to blacklist Hezbollah, saying it could destabilise the country. European Union Foreign Ministers decided on Monday to include Lebanese militant group Hezbollah's armed branch in the list of terrorist organizations, in a move that is feared to fuel tensions in Lebanon and the Middle East region at large. Besides, Britain expressed gratitude over the EU decision to blacklist Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, a decision motivated by Britain's previous advice.