Australia labels all of Hezbollah as “terrorist organization”

Canberra (QNN)- The government of Australia on Wednesday listed all of Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization,” extending an existing ban on armed units to the entire organization.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews claimed that the group “continues to threaten terrorist attacks and provide support to terrorist organizations,” and poses a “real” and “credible” threat to Australia.

“There is no place in Australia for their hateful ideologies,” she said in a statement. “We know that there are individuals actively watching what is happening in Australia. There are people here who have the intent and the capability to do us harm.”

Australia had previously only designated Hezbollah’s External Security Organization a terrorist organization in 2003.

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier this month at the UN climate conference, where he urged him to enact the Hezbollah ban, welcomed the decision.

Hezbollah has been designated a terrorist group by parts of the West, although some countries have been reluctant to sanction the group’s political wing, fearing it could destabilize Lebanon and hamper contacts with authorities.

Hezbollah defies easy definition — acting as part political party, part terrorist organization and part provider of basic services to Lebanon’s Shi’ite community.

Membership in the organization or providing funding for it will now be banned in Australia, which has a large Lebanese community.

Hezbollah is labeled a terrorist group by the United States, Canada, Germany and Uk.

A growing number of countries have done so, and Saudi Arabia placed the organization’s financial arm on its terror blacklist last month.

Andrews also announced on Wednesday that Australia would be blacklisting far-right group The Base.

“They are a violent, racist neo-Nazi group known by security agencies to be planning and preparing terrorist attacks,” Andrews said.