Hezbollah uses Germany as operational hub for sponsoring terror

Hezbollah is using Germany as a major hub for its activities in Europe, Tagesspiegel newspaper reported Friday, citing security sources.

The German news outlet said that Hezbollah’s operations in Europe included drug trafficking, with the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg serving as key entry points in the EU.

The group also allegedly engages in money laundering, recruitment and fundraising, the newspaper says, with the revenues directed to Lebanon to fund attacks and arms procurement. Overall, some 1050 Hezbollah members and supporters are known to reside in Germany, the report says, with around 250 of them living in Berlin. About 30 mosques and cultural centers in the country are known to have ties with the group, it adds.

While Hezbollah’s military wing is banned in Germany as a terrorist organization, a complete ban on the group, a player in Lebanon’s parliament is now only under consideration.

Some reports suggest, however, that the ban could be rolled out as early as this week. This comes as the group is facing off with the protesters in Lebanon, on the home soil, where Hezbollah activists attacked peaceful demonstrators.

Source: Ynet News