Tehran- Iran has vehemently condemned the German government’s decision to designate the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah a “terrorist organization”, saying Berlin must be held to account for the “consequences” its decision will have for the fight against terrorism in the region.
“Certain countries in Europe are apparently adopting their stances without considering the realities in the West Asia region,” said Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi in a statement on Thursday night.
Mousavi said the German government’s blacklisting of Hezbollah only serves “the objectives of the propaganda machine of the Zionist regime and the bewildered US regime.”
He further noted that Berlin’s decision totally “disrespects” the Lebanese government and nation, as Hezbollah is a “legitimate and official part of the country’s government and parliament”.
Condemning the German move as “a decision of utmost imprudence”, the Iranian official said the Lebanese resistance movement has been playing a key role in combating the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region.
Earlier in the day, Germany banned all of Hezbollah’s activities in the country and ordered raids on sites police said were linked to the group.
A number of properties in Berlin, Bremen and North Rhine-Westphalia were searched early on Thursday, according to the German police.
The German Interior Ministry, which has issued the ban, says four mosques and cultural associations were raided, as well as private homes of Hezbollah’s board members, treasurers and tax advisers.
Most EU member states have so far refrained from labeling the political arm of the Lebanese resistance movement a “terrorist organization”.
Last year, the British government broke with the rest of Europe to adopt a stance similar to that of Germany against the entire Hezbollah resistance movement.
Hezbollah’s role in an anti-militancy campaign in Syria has angered Western countries that have, for the past eight years, supported terrorist groups opposed to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Hezbollah has played a major role in helping Assad purge the Syrian territory from terrorist groups.
The resistance group also responds to Israel’s frequent aerial incursions into Lebanon.
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