Arab League no longer defines Hezbollah as a terrorist entity

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The Arab League no longer defines Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, a senior Arab League official announced on Saturday.

“In earlier Arab League decisions, Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organization, and this designation was reflected in the resolutions,” Hossam Zaki, assistant secretary-general of the Arab League stated, according to Arab media reports.

“The League's member states concurred that the labeling of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization should no longer be employed,” he added and claimed the Arab league "does not maintain terrorist lists and does not actively seek to designate entities in such a manner."

The Shiite Hezbollah terrorist organization was established in 1985 during the civil war in Lebanon with active assistance from the Iranian ayatollah regime, which sought to expand its regional influence to Lebanon and its large Shiite population.

With backing from the Iran, Hezbollah eventually emerged as one of the world’s most powerful non-state actors in Lebanon and has openly called for the destruction of the Jewish state.

Hezbollah forces are believed to have a vast arsenal of at least 150,000 rockets and missiles, as well as significant drone capabilities and a well-trained elite military unit known as the Radwan force.

Politically, Hezbollah is an influential player in Lebanon’s fractured political system.

In 2006, Hezbollah attacked Israel, which led to the Second Lebanon War.

On Oct. 8, 2023, the terror group began to launch attacks targeting northern Israel reportedly in solidarity with Iran's proxy in Gaza, Hamas, which invaded and massacred 1,200 Israelis in southern Israeli communities the day before.

Since then, Hezbollah has fired over 5,000 aerial projectiles (drones, missiles and rockets) against Israel during the past eight months of tensions on Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

Israel Defense Forces has responded by targeting Hezbollah terrorists, including senior commanders and the the organization's infrastructure in Lebanon. Dozens of Israelis and at least 400 Hezbollah terrorists have so far been killed in the ongoing fighting and at least 60,000 Israelis have been forced to evacuate their homes in the north.

Israeli leaders and international military experts have warned that the fighting could quickly become a full-scale war, although Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a retired IDF general, recently emphasized that Israel prefers a diplomatic solution to the Hezbollah problem but is prepared for a potential war.