Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon
Hezbollah in Southern LebanoniStock

Iran on Friday slammed Germany's ban on the activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization on its soil, saying it would face consequences for its decision to “give in to Israeli and US pressure.”

In a statement quoted by AFP, Iran's foreign ministry said the ban ignores "realities in West Asia".

The Islamic Republic said the move was based solely on the goals of the "propaganda machine of the Zionists and America's confused regime."

It "strongly" condemned the decision it said showed "complete disrespect to the government and nation of Lebanon, as Hezbollah is a formal and legitimate part of the country's government and parliament".

Iran said Hezbollah had a "key role in fighting Daesh's terrorism in the region," using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (ISIS) group.

"The German government must face the negative consequences of its decision in the fight against real terrorist groups in the region," it added.

The German Interior Ministry on Thursday morning issued a federal order outlawing Hezbollah in Germany, and also took enforcement measures under the provisions of the order.

The order prohibits any contact with members of the organization and does not differentiate between its various arms - military, political or social. According to the order, any use of the organization's symbols and the organization's assets in Germany, if any, would be banned.

Kan 11 News later reported that Germany received intelligence information from Israel that helped formulate the declaration that Hezbollah will be outlawed.

In 2013, the European Union blacklisted Hezbollah's “military wing” as a terrorist organization, while failing to blacklist the group’s political arm.

In March of 2019, the British government designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Earlier this year, Britain's finance ministry added the entire Hezbollah organization to its list of terrorist groups subject to asset freezing.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)