Hezbollah accuses Germany of giving in to US, Israel with ban

Germany “succumbed to American will” when it chose to ban the Lebanese shiite group Hezbollah, the movement’s leader said in a televised speech on Monday, his first public comment on the ban since it was announced last week.

Germany “bowed to the decision by the US administration,” leader Hassan Nasrallah said.

“This is part of the US-Israeli war on resistance movements in the region,” he said, adding that Germany did not provide any evidence for its claims against the Iranian-backed movement.

“When we say we are not active in Germany, we are being 100% honest,” he said.

On March 30, German authorities declared the pro-Iranian movement a “Shiite terrorist organization,” banning it from any activity on German soil. Police also carried out raids on mosques and organisations linked to the group.

“All the brutal attacks on mosques and organizations are condemned,” he said. “There was no need for such brutal practices other than to present credentials to the Americans.”

Read more: Pro-Iranian militias: How autonomous are they?

More countries expected to follow

Despite his anger, Nasrallah said Germany’s decision had not been a surprise.

“The German decision was expected and we expect other European countries to follow,” Nasrallah said. The leader claimed Hezbollah had not been active in Europe for a long time.

Hezbollah was founded in 1982 during the Lebanese civil war. The group fought another bloody war with Israel in 2006. The movement is financed and trained by Iran, from where it draws the support of the country’s Shiite community.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Rise of Hezbollah

  Hezbollah, or Party of God, was conceived by Muslim clerics in the 1980s in response to the Israeli invasion of South Lebanon in 1982. The Shiite group has a political and military wing.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  National support against Israel

  Hezbollah emerged in the 1980s as an amalgamation of Shiite militias and played a major role in the Lebanese civil war. It used guerrilla warfare to drive Israeli forces out of South Lebanon — Israel withdrew in 2000. Israel and Hezbollah fought another war in 2006. Its defense of Lebanon against Israel had won it cross-sectarian support and acceptance in Lebanese society.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Backed by Iran

  Since its creation, Hezbollah has received military, financial and political support from Iran and Syria. Today, Hezbollah’s military wing is more powerful than Lebanon’s own army and has become a major regional paramilitary force.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Political apparatus

  Hezbollah turned its focus to politics following the end of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. It represents a large section of the Lebanese Shiite population and is allied with other sectarian groups, including Christians. Their political development has mostly come under Hassan Nasrallah (pictured), who became the group’s leader in 1992.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Armed wing

  Unlike other parties in Lebanon’s multi-sided 1975-1990 civil war, Hezbollah did not disband its armed wing. Some Lebanese political groups, such as Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement, want Hezbollah to put down its arms. Hezbollah argues its militant wing is necessary to defend against Israel and other external threats.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Terror group?

  A number of countries and bodies, including the United States, Israel, Canada and the Arab League, consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization. However, Australia and most of the European Union differentiate between its legitimate political activities and its militant wing.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Hezbollah enters Syria’s civil war

  Hezbollah has been one of the main backers of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the country’s civil war. Its entrance into the war helped save Assad, one of its chief patrons; secured weapons supply routes from Syria and formed a buffer zone around Lebanon against Sunni militant groups it feared would take over Syria. As a result it has won considerable support from Shiite communities in Lebanon.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Sectarianism

  Lebanon has long been at the center of regional power struggles, particularly between Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, Hezbollah’s military and political ascendancy, as well as its intervention in Syria, have also helped stoke Sunni-Shiite sectarian tensions in Lebanon and across the region.

• Hezbollah, Lebanon’s Iran-backed paramilitary organization

  Renewed conflict with Israel?

  Iran and Hezbollah have increased their political and military strength through the war in Syria. Israel views this as a threat and has carried out dozens of airstrikes on Iran/Hezbollah targets in Syria. Israel has vowed to not let Iran and Hezbollah create a permanent presence in Syria. There is growing concern of another war between Hezbollah and Israel that could draw in Iran.

  Author: Chase Winter

The US and Israel have long considered Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization. Like the EU, Germany had previously only forbidden the movement’s military wing while continuing to accept it as a political force. Hezbollah is a major power in the Lebanese parliament.

kp/aw (dpa, Reuters)

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