The Arab League no longer classifies Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization", Hossam Zaki, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, announced on Saturday.
"In previous Arab League decisions, Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organization, and this designation was reflected in the resolutions, leading to the severing of communication based on these decisions," Zaki said in a televised statement on the Egyptian Al-Qahera News Channel, a day after concluding his visit to the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
According to the senior official, "The member states of the League agreed that the label of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization should no longer be employed."
Zaki pointed out that "the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization no longer applies," adding that "the Arab League does not maintain terrorist lists and does not actively seek to designate entities in such a manner."
On its part, the Lebanese Al-Akhbar newspaper cited sources as saying that "Zaki informed Hezbollah that the [Arab] League decided to lift its terrorist classification and believes that it has a major role in Lebanon's future."
The newspaper reported on Friday that, during his visit to Beirut, Zaki met with the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc in Lebanon, MP Mohammad Raad, in the first contact between the Arab League and Hezbollah in over a decade.
In a related context, Zaki conveyed the Arab League's support for any effort that could lead to the end of the presidential vacancy and the election of a president in Lebanon.
He mentioned that the League discussed with Lebanese parliamentary blocs the potential escalation in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and the Israeli occupation military.
The assistant secretary-general of the Arab League highlighted that a significant part of his communications in Beirut revolved around the tensions in southern Lebanon along the border with occupied Palestine, expressing his hope that the situation would not escalate.
Zaki pointed out that the indications coming from the Israeli side are concerning and suggest a desire to expand the war on Lebanon, which is rejected by the Arab League.
It is noteworthy that the Arab League had classified Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization" in March 2016, but the classification was met with reservations from Lebanon and Iraq. The decision came shortly after the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) designated the Lebanese group on March 2, 2016.