New Zealand officially designated the Iran-backed terror proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen as terrorist organizations on Wednesday.
“It’s very simple. For any organization to be deemed a terrorist organization under New Zealand legislation, we have to have evidence, and we go through a number of tests under our legislation, that organization has knowingly undertaken terrorist activity,” Christopher Luxon, the New Zealand prime minister, said, per the Post. “This is the case before the four that I’ve designated today.”
The country also designated Somalia’s Al-Shabab and the Kurdish organization PKK.
New Zealand had previously classified only Hezbollah’s military wing as a terror group. The new decision designates the entire organization.
“I congratulate the government of New Zealand on its decision today to designate Hezbollah and the Houthis (Ansar Allah) as terrorist organizations,” wrote Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli foreign affairs minister.
“New Zealand has now become the 30th country in the world to designate Hezbollah, in its entirety, as a terrorist organization,” he added.
Ran Yaakoby, the Israeli ambassador to New Zealand, congratulated the country for doing “the right thing.”
“As a member of the Five Eyes, this was long overdue for New Zealand,” wrote Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran. (The Five Eyes are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.)
Earlier this month, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) met with Rosemary Banks, the New Zealand ambassador in Washington.
“We discussed the need for New Zealand to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Hezbollah as terror organizations—a step that is long overdue, especially given New Zealand’s role as a member of the Five Eyes alliance,” Sherman wrote on Nov. 13.
“In addition, we discussed the need for New Zealand to open an embassy in Israel rather than their current approach of a shared ambassador to Turkey, Israel, Jordan and Azerbaijan who is stationed in Ankara, Turkey.”
JNS sought comment from the New Zealand embassy in Washington.
Israel has been at war with Hezbollah for more than a year, with the terror organization firing near-daily rockets at Israeli civilian areas. A July 27 attack killed 12 children in Majdal Shams.
Earlier this week, Iran signaled to the terror group to accept a ceasefire.