WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2020) The United States applauds recent steps taken by Latvia to constrain the Hezbollah movement, State Department spokesperson Cale Brown said on Monday.
"The United States welcomes the Latvian government's recent announcement that it considers Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organization," Brown said in a statement. "Latvia supports US implementation of sanctions related to Hizballah and has expressed a readiness to place national travel bans on individuals associated with Hizballah."
These types of actions, Brown added, send a strong message to the group's supporters in Iran.
"On this new day, Hizballah operatives will no longer be able to operate from European soil, and the European Union will follow the lead of a number of European governments by closing the loopholes opened up by the false distinction between Hizballah's so-called military and political wings," he said.
Hezbollah was established in the 1980s as a paramilitary and political organization originating in Lebanon's Shiite population. The group initially aimed to end Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah's military wing is also active in Syria, where it is fighting on behalf of the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
