Hezbollah: UK terror ban ‘insults Lebanon’s feelings’

The terror group on Friday strongly rejected the British government’s move to ban it, calling the move an “insult” to the Lebanese people and evidence of subservience to the United States.

By Associated Press and World Israel News Staff

In a statement issued in Beirut, the Hezbollah terror group responded to a recent ban by the U.K. government, commenting,”The British government by adopting this decision has insulted the feelings, emotions and will of the Lebanese people which consider Hezbollah to be a significant political and popular force and granted it large representation in parliament and in the new government.”

It was the first comment by the terror group on Britain’s move earlier this week to ban Hezbollah as a terrorist group, based on the Iran-backed proxies destabilizing operations the Middle East.

Hezbollah receives hundreds of millions of dollars from Iran, with which it maintains a massive terror army, amassing around 150,000 rockets in violation of the United Nations resolution’s that ended Lebanon’s previous conflict with Israel.

Hezbollah is sworn to Israel’s destruction.

The British government’s decision means being a member of, or inviting support for, Hezbollah will be a criminal offense, carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Until now, the military wing of the Lebanon-based group has been outlawed in Britain, but not its “political” arm.

Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim terror organization that emerged during the early 1980s to attack Israel. The group is a formidable military force that rivals the Lebanese army and its “political” apparatus has infiltrated Lebanon’s parliament, dominating the country’s agenda.

The terror groups military activity in Syria has helped prop up President Bashar Assad’s brutal government, which has carried out numerous chemical attacks on the Lebanese people during a bloody civil war.

The Hezbollah statement added that the U.K. decision is proof that the British government is “merely a puppet” that does the bidding of its American “masters.”

The British ban comes as the United States is increasing its pressure on Hezbollah, placing several sets of sanctions on the group and its regional backer, Iran.

Last week, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon described Hezbollah’s “growing” role in the new Lebanese Cabinet as a threat to the country’s stability. U.S. officials have also expressed concern that Hezbollah will exploit the ministries it runs to funnel money to fund the terror group’s operations.

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