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Post by Daniel on Mar 2, 2016 11:04:21 GMT -5
Gulf states declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization
By Arutz Sheva Staff
3/2/2016
Six Gulf nations led by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday formally declared the Lebanese Iran-proxy Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
A statement by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) stated the declaration is being made due to hostile acts by the Shi'ite terrorist group within its member states, reports Associated Press.
Those hostile acts were listed as including attempts to recruit new terrorists within the GCC, as well as smuggling weapons and explosives.
Aside from Saudi Arabia, the GCC is comprised of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
The new move would appear to be a sign of the Sunni Gulf states further coalescing against the Shi'ite Iran axis, as tensions remain high between the rival states.
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www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/208784
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Post by Daniel on Mar 3, 2016 10:31:31 GMT -5
Iran rages at Gulf states for outlawing terrorist Hezbollah
By Ari Yashar
3/3/2016
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday expressed Tehran's great outrage after Gulf states the day before formally declared Iran's Lebanese proxy Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
Responding to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announcement, Amir-Abdollahian said, "those who call Hezbollah terrorists, have intentionally or unintentionally targeted the unity and security of Lebanon."
“The terrorism tag for Hezbollah, the most potent resistance movement, and inattention to the Zionist regime's atrocities is a new mistake which doesn’t benefit the regional stability and security," he said as quoted by the state-run PressTV.
The GCC move can be seen as a step up in the tensions between the Saudi states and their Shi'ite Iran axis rival, in tensions that have particularly grown since the Iran nuclear deal last year that reportedly has already begun to launch a regional nuclear arms race.
In outlawing Hezbollah, the GCC noted on how the terrorist group has been recruiting terrorists and smuggling weapons in its member states, which include Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
Amir-Abdollahian defended Hezbollah by saying most of its terrorism is directed against Israel, and he added that it is fighting "terrorism" in the region, in a reference to how it is propping up Bashar al-Assad's regime against opposition forces in Syria on Iran's orders.
"We are proud of Lebanon's Hezbollah as the vanguard of resistance against the Zionist regime and the champion of the fight against terrorism in the region," he said.
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www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/208850
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Post by Daniel on Mar 12, 2016 10:29:31 GMT -5
Arab League designates Hezbollah as a terrorist organization
By Ben Ariel, Canada
3/11/2016
The Arab League on Friday formally branded Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, The Associated Press reported, citing Egypt's state news agency MENA.
According to the report, the decision came during the league foreign ministers' meeting.
The move aligns the 22-member league firmly behind Saudi Arabia and the Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations, which made the same move against Hezbollah earlier this month.
However, the Saudi ambassador in Cairo, Ahmed Qattan, told the satellite TV station Al Arabiya that the vote was not unanimous as Lebanon and Iraq abstained.
The Arab League move, as the one made earlier by the Gulf states, ramps up the pressure on Hezbollah, which is fighting on the side of President Bashar Al-Assad in Syria.
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www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/209277
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Post by Daniel on Apr 19, 2016 17:26:01 GMT -5
Bahraini minister: Gulf states want good relations with Israel
By Ben Ariel
4/19/2016
Bahrain’s Foreign Minister, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, recently suggested that the Gulf states were interested in relations with Israel.
The comments came in an interview on March 31 with the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV that was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
According to Al Khalifa, the goal behind the Gulf states' decision to cut ties with Iran and to designate Hezbollah as a "terror organization" was to send Iran and its satellites in the region a message that "we are serious in confronting them."
When asked whether Iran was more dangerous than Israel to the Gulf states, Al Khalifa stated that the Gulf states "wish to have good relations with both," but that the danger they are facing now comes from Iran which, he said, is “our biggest problem at this point in time.”
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www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/211094
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