Gulf Nations Declare Lebanon’s Hezbollah a Terrorist Group

A Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations formally branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization on Wednesday.

Hezbollah terrorists listen to Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, as he speaks via a video link during a rally to mark the Hezbollah martyr day, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 11, 2015. AP Photo/Bilal Hussein

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—A Saudi-led bloc of six Gulf Arab nations formally branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization on Wednesday, ramping up the pressure on the Lebanese militant group fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in Syria.

The move by the Gulf Cooperation Council comes less than two weeks after Saudi Arabia announced it was cutting $4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces. The kingdom and other Gulf states followed up that move by urging its citizens to leave Lebanon, dealing a blow to the tiny nation’s tourism industry.

A statement from GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif al-Zayani said the bloc decided to implement the terrorist designation because of hostile acts by Hezbollah within its member states. It said the designation applies to the militant group as well as all its leaders, factions and affiliates.

(L–R) Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani of Bahrain and foreign ministers Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah of Kuwait, Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah of Qatar, Yusuf bin Alawi of Oman, Adel al-Jubeir of Saudi Arabia, Khalid bin Ahmad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan of the Emirates at an extraordinary GCC meeting in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Jan. 9, 2016. Ahmed Farwan/AFP/Getty Images