Arab League Removes Hezbollah from Terrorist Organization List

The Arab League, a coalition of Arab nations, has decided to no longer consider Hezbollah, the armed group from Lebanon, as a terrorist organization. This announcement was made by Hossam Zaki, the Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, amid the ongoing tensions between Israel and Lebanon. The report was covered by Anadolu Agency on Saturday, June 29.

The report mentioned that after a visit to Beirut, Hossam Zaki stated in an interview with the Egyptian TV channel Al-Kahera that the Arab League had previously listed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, a decision that was reflected in a resolution, leading to the severance of ties with the group.

Zaki further stated, "The members of the Arab League have decided that the label of 'terrorist organization' will no longer apply to Hezbollah."

The Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar reported that on Friday, June 28, Zaki visited Beirut and met with Mohammad Raad, the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, which is connected to Hezbollah.

This marks the first communication between the Arab League and Hezbollah in over a decade. The last meeting between Hezbollah leader Raad and Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Zaki took place in 2016.

In 2016, at Saudi Arabia’s initiative, the Arab League declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization due to the group’s influence in the Middle East and its interventions in the internal affairs of Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and other Gulf countries.

Since the beginning of the attacks on Gaza, Hezbollah has been launching rockets and drone strikes on Israeli border regions in protest. In response, Israel has been conducting counterattacks in Lebanon against the Iran-supported armed group.

Since October, around 350 Hezbollah members have been killed. To counter Hezbollah's attacks, Israel has been deploying troops to the Lebanon border, raising concerns about an all-out war between Hezbollah and Israel.

In this tense situation, seven countries, including Saudi Arabia, have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon. Additionally, five other countries have issued travel advisories for their citizens regarding Lebanon.

Amid these developments, Iran's UN mission has threatened that continued attacks on Lebanon could lead to a war aimed at destroying Israel. Iran warned that any assault on Lebanon would prompt all of Iran’s resistance forces and allies to confront Israel.

In response to Iran's threats, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz stated on Saturday that the government issuing threats of destruction would itself be destroyed