Iranian officials and media have condemned the recent decision by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to designate the Lebanese group Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

GCC Secretary-General Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani said March 2 that the designation was the result of Hezbollah’s “hostile acts” in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. He also accused Hezbollah of trying to recruit youths in the GCC countries.

The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Hossein Jaber Ansari, condemned the GCC statement. Ansari said Hezbollah “gave Arabs and Muslims the first victory in the history of anti-Zionist conflict and became the leading symbol of resistance against Zionist occupation.” Deputy Foreign Ministry for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that people who designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization “intentionally or unintentionally are targeting Lebanon’s security.” He called Hezbollah the “most effective resistance movement” and said that ignoring Israeli crimes “is the latest mistake that is not in the benefit of stability and security in the region.”

The GCC decision is just the latest move led by Saudi Arabia to distance itself from Lebanon and Hezbollah, which is the most influential force in the fractured country. After withdrawing a $3 billion aid offer to the Lebanese army, Saudi Arabia and a number of other GCC countries banned their citizens from traveling to Lebanon. Much of the recent Hezbollah-Saudi animosity is rooted in the Syrian civil war, where Hezbollah forces — in addition to the Iranian and Syrian armies — are fighting against Syrian groups backed by Saudi Arabia and other GCC states.