Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

Dominican Republic recognizes Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terror groups

Dominican Republic
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Dominican President Luis Abinader in New York City, Sept. 24, 2025. Credit: Freddie Everett/U.S. State Department.

Jewish groups and Israeli officials applauded the Dominican Republic’s decision on Tuesday to recognize Hezbollah and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, of Iran, as terror groups.

“Bravo to President Luis Abinader and the Dominican Republic for designating Hezbollah and the IRGC as terrorist organizations, joining a growing chorus of countries in Latin America and around the world taking a firm stand against Iran’s malign network,” the American Jewish Committee stated.

“In light of the continued danger the regime and its proxies pose to the Western Hemisphere and beyond, we urge other countries to build on this momentum and take decisive action to confront and dismantle these threats,” the AJC said.

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations in New York City, welcomed the move and stated that “this is an important decision that aligns with dozens of countries that have already done the right thing.”

“The world increasingly understands that the terror led by Iran is not only a threat to Israel,” he stated. “It is a global threat.”

Gideon Sa’ar, the Israeli foreign affairs minister, stated that the move was “another important reinforcement to the international front against terrorism.”

“This important decision sends a clear message against the terrorist policies of Iran and its proxies and demonstrates a commitment to regional and global security,” he stated.

See more from JNS Staff
The trip comes as tourism from the United States began to pick up this summer, just ahead of next month’s resumption of direct flights to Tel Aviv by two major U.S. airlines.
“If you are not here, you allow the enemies to take over,” Danny Danon told JNS, of why the Jewish state must be present at the United Nations. “If I do not come to the room, they will continue to promote hate.”
The decision was the first time in the country’s history that a judge has been removed from office over anti-Jewish hate speech.
Aisha Wahab states on her campaign site that Melissa Hernandez is funded by AIPAC, while the latter’s campaign site doesn’t mention the word “Israel” or “Jewish.”