Israel, UAE, and Bahrain in joint effort to internationally designate Iran-proxy Hezbollah as terrorist group

MIDDLE EAST – Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to make a concerted effort to pressure the United Nations, international cooperation organizations, and a number of countries in the world to persuade them to classify the Lebanese Hezbollah party, which is fully backed by Iran, as a terrorist organization. The joint front aims to weaken Iran and its influence in the Middle East and cut off funding for Hezbollah.

Deputy Director General for Strategic Affairs of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yehoshua Zarka commented that Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi directed the ministry’s staff to intensify efforts in the international arena to achieve this goal. Zarka said that undermining Hezbollah would weaken Iran, as it would cut off funding to the party and undermine its image around the world. Israel, the United States, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and most recently Germany, Britain and most of Latin America consider Hezbollah a terrorist organization, while the European Union only designates Hezbollah’s military wing terrorist. This enables the ‘Party of God’ to raise funds in those countries.

Iran and its proxy militias in the region like the Shiite Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon, are on hostile terms with the three countries and do not have formal diplomatic relations. Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the countries, this agreement makes it clear that the normalized relations between Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE are not limited to military and economic cooperation, but also on the political level.