The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc said over the weekend the recent decision of the European Union to list his party’s “military wing” as a terrorist group aimed at intimidation.
“The decision of the European Union is a terrorist message and not a political one, they want to terrorize our people and instill fear in their hearts,” Raad said during an Iftar in the Nabatieh town of Jbaa Saturday.
“The [decision] is not only an insult to the resistance and its people ... it reflects the despair of the Europeans over all their attempts to put down the resistance and tame it,” he added.
The EU decided this week to list Hezbollah’s “military wing” as terror group over the party’s alleged involvement in plotting military attacks in Europe, particularly a bus bombing in Bulgaria in 2012 that killed five Israeli tourists.
In his most recent televised speech, Hezbollah dismissed the importance of the decision and said it came after pressures from Israel and the United States.
Echoing Raad’s comments, Hezbollah MP Nawwaf Musawi said the EU decision was an “attack against the resistance, the people and the homeland.”
“The decision reflects a colonial policy [by the EU] toward Lebanon and it comes in response to the Israeli-American dictates to the EU,” he said.
Discussing local matters, Raad, who heads Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc, reiterated that the new Cabinet would not be formed without the participation of Hezbollah.
The March 14 coalition argues Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian conflict precludes allowing the party to take part in the upcoming government.
“The Cabinet will not see the light if we are not partners in it. This is not a challenge but everyone admits we are an essential component of the Lebanese people and we will take part in the next government with our allies and friends,” he said.
The Hezbollah lawmaker added that any Cabinet formed without Hezbollah would be “unconstitutional.”
