The Houthis strongly condemned Germany’s decision to designate the Lebanese political party Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, according to a statement released to the Houthi-run Saba News agency on Thursday. 

The Sana’a-based group said Germany’s decision is in alignment with the “US and Zionist...project in the region.” 

“[Hezbollah] is part of the Lebanese social and political fabric and enjoys the support of the majority of the Lebanese people,” the statement said. It urged Germany to reconsider the decision, claiming it will affect the European country’s standing in the Arab world. 

As part of its decision to classify Hezbollah as a terror group on Thursday, Germany banned the group from carrying out any activities on German soil. 

Iran issued a statement the same day condemning the decision, saying the move serves the US and Israel. Germany had previously declared the armed wing of Hezbollah a terror organization. Thursday’s decision expanded the classification to include its political wing as well.

Unlike Iran and its allies in the region, many Arab and western countries welcomed the German decision.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said it was an important step for regional and international counterterrorism efforts, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Yemen’s internationally recognized government called the decision to ban Hezbollah's activities on German soil "a step in the right direction, as Hezbollah, like other Iranian proxies, are spreading destruction.”

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement published by the government-run Saba News agency that Hezbollah has not concealed its cooperation and support for the Houthis in Yemen and is a partner in crimes committed against Yemenis.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the United States accuse Iran of providing the Houthis with ballistic missiles and drone technology.

The Houthis have a close relationship with Hezbollah in Beirut, where a number of Houthi leaders live and the group’s Al-Masirah TV news channel is based.

The Yemeni government’s Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani claimed the Houthi group will meet the same fate and soon find itself classified as a global terror organization.  

Saudi Arabia and other countries have designated both Hezbollah and the Houthis as terrorist groups, and the Yemeni government has demanded that the UN Security Council and the United States follow suit. Classifying the Houthis as a terror group could restrict countries from engaging with the Houthis diplomatically and financially.

In April last year, the Yemeni government submitted a draft resolution classifying the Houthis as a terrorist organization to parliament, which was convened in Hadhramout governorate’s capital Sayoun in April 2019 for the first time since the start of the war. 

However, the failure of the Yemeni parliament to resume its meetings has prevented the parliamentary committee charged with examining its recommendations from putting the draft resolution to a vote. 

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Edited by Ahlam Mohsen and Casey Coombs