On Wednesday, the six-nation [Persian] Gulf Cooperation Council issued a statement labeling Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The bloc, comprising Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait, claimed that Hezbollah’s moves in the region are against international values and moral and human principles.
Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Sunday that the Arab bloc’s blacklisting Hezbollah as a terrorist body was a strategic mistake and a very hasty and impulsive measure which runs counter to the interests of Muslim nations.
“Hezbollah is the son of the Lebanese nation,” he said, adding that the movement has done a lot for the Arab country.
The Iranian commander added that the GCC’s move was in line with Saudi Arabia’s proxy war to prepare the ground for the US and Zionists to achieve their ominous objectives in the region.
He, however, emphasized that despite efforts by Riyadh and its regional allies, the move would fail to change Hezbollah’s role in establishing power balance in the region.
The GCC decision to blacklist Hezbollah has been met with opposition and criticism.
Algeria refused to classify the movement as a terrorist organization. Palestinian resistance movement, Islamic Jihad, also praised Hezbollah as a resistance movement, which has a history in the struggle against the Zionist entity as well as in supporting the Palestinian cause. Iran, Syria and Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement have also slammed the move by the GCC.
