The decision was taken at a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers at the organization’s headquarters in Cairo.
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Earlier in the day, the Saudi delegation briefly withdrew from discussions to protest against Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim Al Jaafari’s refusal to label Hizbollah as terrorist.
Hours before the GCC decision, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah delivered a televised speech in which he harshly criticized Saudi Arabia for its punitive measures against Lebanon. On its main evening newscast, the group’s Al-Manar TV reported on al-Jaafari’s speech at the Arab League meeting without commenting on the league designation against Hezbollah.
The Arab League meeting on Friday also condemned what it described as continued Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain, the statement said, adding that Hizbollah, along with the Iranian revolutionary guard, financed and trained terrorist groups in Bahrain.
The Saudi monarch, for his part underlined the strategic importance for Egypt and hailed Egypt’s stances in defending Arab causes, said the spokesman.
After that announcement, Saudi Arabia urged its nationals to leave Lebanon and avoid traveling there, with Qatar and Kuwait later issuing similar advisories.
The move by the six-nation Arab bloc followed Riyadh’s decision to halt its Dollars 4 billion in aid to Lebanese security forces in the wake of recent victories by the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah fighters, against the Takfiri militants fighting to topple the Damascus government.
Hezbollah was established in the 1980s as a paramilitary and political organization originating in Lebanon’s Shiite population.
The Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) and the Arab Interior Ministers separately designated Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization” last week.
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The Prime Minister also spoke of his admiration for the successful completion of the joint military exercises that brought together contingents from about two dozen Islamic countries.
