GCC declares Lebanon's Hezbollah a 'terrorist' group

02/03/2016| IslamWeb

Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have classified Lebanese movement Hezbollah as a "terrorist" organization, citing "hostile actions" by the armed group.
GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani said on Wednesday that the six Gulf monarchies undertook the move because "the [Hezbollah] militia recruited young people [of the Gulf] for terrorist acts".

Hezbollah, a Shia political organization with an armed wing, fights in neighboring Syria to support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Gulf nations have taken a series of measures against Hezbollah since Saudi Arabia last month halted a $4bn program funding French military supplies to Beirut.
Hezbollah is backed by Iran.

Announcing the military funding cut last month, a Saudi official said the kingdom had noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hezbollah on the state".

Riyadh would be conducting "a comprehensive review of its relations with the Lebanese republic", the unnamed official said.

He specifically cited Lebanon's refusal to join the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in condemning attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January.

Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran after demonstrators set fire to its embassy and a consulate.

Last month, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain also called on their citizens to leave Lebanon or to avoid travelling there.

PHOTO CAPTION

Hezbollah fighters stand guard next to the coffin of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed Friday in Syria, during his funeral procession in Jibchit, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016.

Al-Jazeera