The Iranian regime has threatened Germany with “negative consequences” after Berlin banned Shia Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah from operating on its soil. German police raided several Hezbollah-linked mosques across the country and moved to freeze funds of the Iranian-sponsored terrorist outfit.
Angered by Germany’s anti-terrorism operation against Hezbollah, Tehran issued a thinly-veiled threat on Saturday. “The German government must face the negative consequences of its decision in the fight against real terrorist groups in the region,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned.
While Hezbollah has been banned by the United States, Britain, and Israel. Germany, along with France and other European countries, had allowed the terrorist group to operate under the garb of its ‘political’ wing. According to the German domestic intelligence agency (BfV), more than one thousand Hezbollah operatives are currently active in the country, often using German mosques to recruit and raise funds.
German weekly Der Spiegel reported Tehran’s threats on Friday:
Iran has responded to the ban on Hezbollah activities by [German] Interior Minister Horst Seehofer. The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the ban in “sharpest terms.” This [ban] displays a “complete disrespect towards the government and the people of Lebanon,” it claimed. […]The regime in Tehran warned the [German] government of consequences. Hezbollah is closely linked to the Iranian leadership. “The German government must face the negative consequences of its decision in the fight against real terrorist groups in the region,” Iranian Foreign Ministry declared. The ban disregards the “realities in West Asia” and is based solely on goals of the “propaganda machine of the Zionists and America’s confused regime,” [Iran claimed].Tehran accused the [German] government of giving into the pressure put by the United States and Israel over the years: Both the Israeli government and Washington have designated Hezbollah as a “terrorist” organization.With the ban in place, its supporters cannot wave the yellow flag of Hezbollah, which shows a fist holding an assault rifle. The symbols of Hezbollah’s youth movement have also been banned in Germany. The funds of the group are to be confiscated. [Translated by the author]
Germany’s decision means a major disruption for Hezbollah’s global financial network. The terrorist group has been using the country for its international money laundering operations. In a September 2019 op-ed, U.S. Ambassador to Berlin Richard Grenell described Germany as ‘Eldorado’ for Hezbollah’s terrorism financing network.
The ban also means a setback for Islamist mobilization by Hezbollah and Iran on German soil. Hezbollah operates through mosques and Islamic associations with links to the Iranian regime. Thursday’s move gives German law enforcement legal basis for clamping down on Hezbollah events. The ban makes it “prohibited to use or display symbols and to organize and participate in assemblies; assets are confiscated and forfeited. Violations of bans on organizations and activities are equally punishable,” a statement by German Interior Ministry explained.
Hours after German Interior Ministry blacklisted Hezbollah activities, the State of Berlin announced the cancellation of this year’s al-Quds march, an antisemitic and anti-Israel event which drew 1200 Islamists in 2019. The office of the Berlin Senator of the Interior (Berlin states’s department of interior affairs), welcomed the news on Thursday, describing the march as “one of the most disgusting antisemitic events,” and its cancellation as a “good news for Berlin.” The annual march, initiated by the Iranian regime forty years ago, is held in North America, Europe, and parts of the Muslim world, and calls for the destruction of Israel.
Letting Hezbollah operate freely under the guise of its ‘political’ wing, Germany has allowed the terrorist group to create an extensive infrastructure managing its propaganda, recruitment, and terrorism financing. The ban cripples Hezbollah’s ability to carry out its activities in the open. But to rid Germany of this terrorist group, German law enforcement will have to dismantle Hezbollah-linked mosques and go after its ring leaders.
Raw footage: German police raids Hezbollah-linked mosques
[Cover image via YouTube] [Excerpt from German media reports translated by the author]
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