UK Minister of State for the Middle East and International Development Alistair Burt reiterated his country’s deep concerns about Hezbollah’s “destabilizing actions” in the region.
In remarks he made during a visit to Beirut on Wednesday, Burt said: “I came to Lebanon at an important time. Last week, the UK government proscribed Hezbollah in its entirety.”
“My government took this decision for the sole and simple reason that we can no longer judge there is any meaningful distinction between Hezbollah’s military and political wings.”
Secretary of the Syrian Coalition’s political committee Riad al-Hassan earlier welcomed Great Britain’s decision to classify the Hezbollah militias with all its political and military wings as terrorist organizations. He called on the European Union to “follow suit.”
“The Hezbollah militia has had a major role in propping up the Assad regime and supporting its elements in the killing of hundreds of thousands of civilians and the displacement of people from their cities and villages since the start of their intervention in the town of Qusayr in rural Homs in 2013,” Hassan said.
Hassan pointed out that the intervention was ordered by Hezbollah’s political wing which holds seats in the Lebanese government and the Lebanese parliament. He said that Hezbollah practices terrorism through these government institutions.
Moreover, Hassan stressed the importance of taking more serious steps against these Iranian-backed militias. He pointed out that this will benefit the whole region as well as the UN-led political process in accordance with international resolutions, most notably the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Security Council Resolution 2254. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
