A German Bundestag member has called on the European Union to ban the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah following the devastating explosion in Beirut.
Bijan Djir-Sarai, a foreign policy spokesman for the centre-right Free Democratic Party (FDP), has said Brussels needs to “face reality” especially amid the fallout from the August 4 explosion in Beirut’s port, which killed at least 177 people.
"The explosion drew attention to the role of foreign, non-state actors within the fragile fabric of Lebanon," Mr Djir-Sarai wrote in the German newspaper Die Welt.
“It is well known that both the port of Beirut and the airport are under the control of the Tehran-controlled Shiite Hezbollah militia. The Islamist organisation has a firm grip on the country,” he added.
Germany banned all activity by Hezbollah on its soil and designated the group a terrorist organisation in April this year.
The EU, however, has differentiated between Hezbollah’s military and political wings in its dealings with the group.
In 2012 Brussels placed a ban on Hezbollah’s military activities after a suicide bombing that killed six people. The bloc did not impose sanctions on the group as a whole.
Politicians and experts across Europe have insisted there is no distinction between Hezbollah’s political and military activities while others have expressed concerns that such a ban could harm diplomatic relations with the Lebanon.
“It would be a mistake not to use this window of international attention and leave Lebanon to its fate, its failure” Mr Djir-Sarai, who grew up in Iran, wrote.
“It is also now time to promote Hezbollah's classification as a terrorist organisation at EU level,” he added.
Hezbollah has denied a role in the Beirut explosion. However, much public anger following the blast has been aimed at the Islamist group and Lebanon’s political elite.
On Tuesday a special tribunal in the Netherlands established that a Hezbollah member was responsible for the 2005 killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. However the court did not find evidence of Hezbollah leadership’s involvement.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
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