Germany has officially designated Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization” and prohibited contact with anyone acting on behalf of the group.
Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer issued a federal order this morning that outlawed Iran’s Lebanese-proxy Hezbollah from operating on German soil, including a series of measures to ensure enforcement of the ruling. Any assets held by Hezbollah in Germany will be seized and all use of the organization’s symbols has been banned, effective immediately.
In contrast to the European Union, Berlin makes no differentiation between the military, political or social arms of the Shi’ite terror group.
German police consequently conducted a number of raids early this morning in multiple locations as part of a nationwide operation to detain suspected members of the newly designated terror organization. German Police Spokesman Thilo Calbitz revealed that 150 counter-terrorism forces from both the Federal and Berlin police targeted facilities at four locations in Berlin Neukoelln “to find out if there is a connection between these objects and Hezbollah, the now banned organization,” entering with “force” or even “violently if necessary.”
Security officials in Berlin believe that Hezbollah has some 1,050 operational agents throughout Germany.