Oz designates Hezbollah as terrorist

Canberra: Australia on Wednesday said it intends to add the entirety of the Lebanese group Hezbollah to its list of outlawed terrorist organizations as national security services grapple with ideologically motivated extremists.

Including all Hezbollah entities as terrorist organizations would make being a member of or supporting those entities a criminal offense.

Lebanese Ambassador to Australia Milad Raad was not immediately available for comment. Israel praised Australia’s decision to include Hezbollah in the designations.

“Australia is a close friend of Israel in the global fight against terrorism,” said Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, saying there is no distinction between the military and political wings of Hezbollah.

“I call on additional countries and the European Union to join this pressure on Hezbollah, and to recognize the entirety of the organization as a terrorist organization,” he said. -(AP)