BEIRUT, NEW YORK — Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki said Friday that the 22-member organization had dropped the terror classification of Hezbollah, in what experts see as a push by Egypt to try a different approach and engage the Iran-backed militant group.
Speaking to Egypt's television channel Al-Qahera News, Zaki said Hezbollah was referred to as a terrorist group in previous Arab League resolutions, which is why communication between the league and the group was cut off.
“The member states of the league agreed that the label of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization should no longer be employed,” he said, stressing that the Arab League does not have terrorist lists and does not designate entities as such.
Zaki’s comments stirred widespread controversy on social media over the weekend, as cross-border fire between Hezbollah and Israel threatens to snowball into a full-blown conflict. Several social media users accused Zaki and the Arab League secretary-general of serving their own interests by dropping the terror label while disregarding the member states. Others criticized Zaki, considering that Hezbollah’s weapons were illegal.
