GCC lists Hezbollah as a terrorist outfit

Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), General Abdullatif Al-Zayani

A Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations formally branded Hezbollah a terrorist organisation on Wednesday, ramping up the pressure on the Lebanese militant group fighting on the side of President Bashar Al Assad in Syria.
The move by the Gulf Cooperation Council comes less than two weeks after Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting $4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces.
The kingdom and other Gulf states followed up that move by urging their citizens to leave Lebanon, dealing a blow to the tiny nation's tourism industry.
A statement from GCC Secretary- General Abdullatif Al Zayani said the bloc decided to implement the terrorist designation because of hostile acts by Hezbollah within its member states. It said the designation applies to the militant group as well as all its leaders, factions and affiliates Al Zayani accused Hezbollah of charges including seeking to recruit members within the GCC to carry out terrorist acts, smuggling weapons and explosives, and incitement to sow disorder and violence.
Those activities within GCC member states and in Syria, Yemen and Iraq "are incompatible with the values and moral and humanitarian principles and international law, and pose a threat to Arab national security," he said. Lebanon's main political divide pits a Sunni-led coalition against another led by the Hezbollah movement, which includes both political and military wings.
The Mediterranean country has weathered a string of militant attacks in recent years linked to the war in neighbouring Syria. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on Wednesday. But a day earlier, its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had said Saudi Arabia had pushed Lebanon into a new phase of political conflict by announcing it was suspending an aid package to the Lebanese army.
Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri, a key ally of Saudi Arabia, called the GCC decision a result of Hezbollah's actions around the region. "What Hezbollah is doing in Syria and Yemen is for me criminal, illegitimate and terrorist," he said.
Hariri spoke in Beirut following a parliament session to elect a president. The attempt failed just like the previous 35 attempts over a lack of quorum. The post has been vacant for nearly two years.

• MENA