Hezbollah slams Australia’s ‘terrorist’ listing
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Shiite militant movement Hezbollah denounced Australia’s choice Wednesday to note the entire group as a”terrorist organisation”, implicating Canberra of bowing to United States and Israeli demands.
Hezbollah has long been targeted by US sanctions and blacklisted by the United States and Israel as a “terrorist” organisation, however the Iran-backed group is likewise an effective political player, with seats in Lebanon’s parliament.
Nations have prevented sanctioning the group’s political wing, fearing such a move could obstruct relations with Lebanese authorities or contribute to destabilising the country.
Hezbollah in a declaration “strongly denounced the Australian authorities’ decision”, saying it was “an embarrassing submission to American and Zionist diktats” and served Israeli interests.
Australia’s relocation extended a pre-existing ban on the Shiite group’s armed wing.
The “choice and those that have preceded it will not impact Hezbollah’s position and its right to resistance”, the statement stated.
Hezbollah was established in the 1980s to eliminate Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon and has grown into Iran’s main local proxy, with operatives in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
The only Lebanese faction to have kept its weapons after the 1975-1990 civil war, Hezbollah has a more effective toolbox than the Lebanese national army.
It emphasises the motion’s function of “resistance” against Israel and says its function is to defend Lebanon.
Released at Thu, 25 Nov 2021 04:37:56 -0600
Iran accused of stalling redress for downed Ukraine flight
OTTAWA: Canada, Britain, Sweden and Ukraine on Wednesday accused Iran of stalling redress for the families of victims of a downed Ukraine flight, stating Tehran has yet to consent to talks.
The Islamic republic shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 soon after take-off from its capital Tehran on January 8, 2020, eliminating all 176 individuals aboard, including 85 Canadian people and long-term citizens.
3 days later, it admitted that its forces had actually wrongly targeted the Kiev-bound Boeing 737-800 plane.
“We, ministers representing Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, and the UK, express our deep frustration that the Islamic Republic of Iran has actually declined our multiple demands to meet on November 22, 2021 to work out on the matter of reparations for the downing of Flight PS752,” the four nations said in a joint statement.
On Friday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly spoke with her British equivalent Elizabeth Truss, and committed collectively “to seeking justice by holding Iran responsible.”
The four countries seeking redress said Wednesday that if Iran continues “to avoid negotiating with the group, (they) will have no choice however to seriously consider other actions and measures to resolve this matter within the framework of international law.”
On Sunday, the trial of 10 soldiers in connection to the jetliner’s downing opened in Tehran.
In a last report in March, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation (CAO) indicated the missile strikes and the “awareness” of its soldiers on the ground amidst increased tensions in between Iran and the United States at the time.
The Islamic republic had actually simply assaulted a United States base in Iraq in action to the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, and were expecting a reaction from Washington.
Ukraine, which lost 11 residents in the disaster, said the report was “a cynical attempt to conceal (the) true causes” of the catastrophe, while Canada said it contained “no hard realities or proof” and vowed to soon release the results of its own investigation.
Released at Thu, 25 Nov 2021 03:08:47 -0600
