A day after Australia designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, Hamas condemned the move, saying it viewed "the decision as a surrender to the will of Zionism and a response to the pressure of the enemy entity."
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On Wednesday, Australia joined 16 other countries that have outlawed Hezbollah in the last two years. The designation covers the Iranian-backed Shiite terrorist group as a whole, expanding the ban placed on its military wing in 2003.
According to Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews, any affiliation with Hezbollah or providing funding for it will be illegal and punishable by up to 25 years in prison.
The terror group, which all but controls Lebanon, has been designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the UK, Germany, Canada, Austria, Argentina, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Kosovo, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Serbia, Switzerland, Venezuela, and others.
The Israeli Embassy in Canberra welcomed the decision, saying, "There is no division between the political and the military wings of the terrorist organization Hezbollah, and this acknowledgment is essential to combating the enduring threat of terrorism."
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