A group of over 30 governments met this week to discuss the global terrorist threat posed by Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah, the State Department said on Friday.
“Participants discussed Hezbollah’s ongoing global terrorist plotting, weapons procurement, and financial schemes, and outlined how Hezbollah may adapt in the future to evade law enforcement detection,” according to a statement.
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The Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) also looked at ways to disrupt “Hezbollah terrorist and criminal activities, and associated networks.”
“LECG participants noted that these actions demonstrate the growing recognition among our partners about the need to cooperate on our efforts to counter Hezbollah’s global terrorist networks,” the statement read.
This was the group’s ninth meeting, which gathered countries from the Middle East, South America, Central America, Africa, Indo-Pacific and North America. Europol was also present at the meeting in Europe, but the State Department did not specify where it was held.
Several countries have designated Hezbollah as a terror group in recent years, following Washington’s lead.
Others have banned or limited Hezbollah’s activities in their respective countries, including participating in pro-Hezbollah parades.
The US designated the group as a terrorist organization in its entirety in 1997. But French refusal to blacklist the group in its entirety has hindered international efforts to pressure Hezbollah and get them to disarm. They were the only group allowed to keep their weapons following the 1975-90 Civil War in Lebanon.
Hezbollah claims it is a resistance force against Israel, which continues to occupy certain pockets of Lebanese territories, including the Shebaa Farms and the northern part of Ghajar.
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