"Hezbollah, as a victim of Zionist and Takfiri terrorism…. has been a pillar and
main force of the war against terrorism and terror outfits like Daesh and their
defeat in the region,” Bahram Qassemi, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, told
reporters on Saturday.
The comments came days after UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that the British
government will designate the entire Hezbollah organization as a terrorist
entity as of Friday, subject to the approval of the parliament.
The UK had previously blacklisted Hezbollah's military apparatus as a "terrorist
group."
Underlining Hezbollah’s strong support among the people of Lebanon and its
strong representation in the country’s political process, Qassemi denounced
London’s move as a "mistake.”
He said Iran recognized Hezbollah as a legal organization that helped keep
Lebanon secure and viewed Britain’s outlawing of the group as a move that
"ignored the rights of a vast part of a nation.”
"This signifies the UK’s deliberate disregard for a large number of Lebanese
people and Hezbollah’s legitimacy and legal standing in Lebanon’s political and
administrative structure,” Qassemi continued.
Britain has become increasingly angered by Hezbollah’s role in an anti-militancy
campaign in Syria, where London has 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 intervention, once criticized inside Lebanon, has
helped the resistance movement increase its political clout as the group now
controls three ministries, a first on the history of the Lebanese government.
The Israeli regime swiftly welcomed Javid’s announcement with Israeli Security
Minister Gilad Erdan saying in a tweet that the European Union, which unlike the
United States has opposed designation of Hezbollah as terrorist entity, should
follow suit.
Source:PressTV