Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and pro-Israel lawmakers welcomed Germany’s decision this week to designate the entirety of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia-cum-political party, as a terrorist organization. Previously, Germany had followed Europe’s lead in drawing a distinction between Hezbollah’s political and paramilitary wings.
“We commend Germany for banning Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization and for taking strong action against suspected Hezbollah supporters,” Pompeo said in a statement Thursday. “With this action, Germany joins the growing ranks of nations that reject the false distinction between Hezbollah’s terrorist operations and a purported ‘political’ wing, including recent designations by Argentina, Colombia, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay and the United Kingdom.”