BRUSSELS: EU foreign ministers are likely to put the military wing of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group on their blacklist of terror groups, EU diplomatic sources said Friday as the Lebanese government warned against such a step.
“There are still some reservations... but we are moving toward a decision on listing Hezbollah’s military wing,” a senior EU official said ahead of a meeting of all 28 EU foreign ministers on Monday.
The move was justified by Hezbollah’s involvement in an attack against Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last year and its activities in Cyprus, the official said, but would “not impact current EU policy and engagement with Lebanon.”
The official, who asked not to be named, also stressed that the military wing alone would be targeted and not Hezbollah’s political organization which is a major force in the country and was part of the outgoing Lebanese government.
EU sources said Ireland and Malta were still reluctant to blacklist Hezbollah for fear of destabilizing Lebanon but it appeared likely that any holdouts would go along with the majority on Monday.
“We would be surprised if some ministers stood in the way of the EU taking robust action on terrorism,” another senior EU official said.
Asked if Hezbollah’s intervention in support of President Bashar Assad against rebel forces had changed opinion, the first senior official insisted that was “another issue completely.” The decision was “solely driven” by concerns over terrorist actions in Europe, he added.
EU ready to blacklist Hezbollah
