
The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem. (Credit: AFP)
Hezbollah condemned Tuesday “in the strongest possible terms” Australia's decision to impose sanctions on its secretary-general, Naim Qassem. In a statement, the Shiite organization denounced the move as “unjust,” seeing it as further evidence of Canberra's alignment with the “American-Zionist project.” This decision comes as part of a series of sanctions announced Monday by the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the heading “New sanctions on terrorism financing.”
Among the targeted individuals is Qassem, described by Australia as the “new secretary-general and prominent spokesman” of Hezbollah, an organization labeled as a “terrorist group” by Canberra, which accuses it of being responsible for the deaths of “many civilians in Lebanon, Israel, and throughout the Middle East.” This designation allows Australian authorities to impose sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on individuals or entities associated with the party.
While Australia designated Hezbollah's military wing as a terrorist organization in 2003 and the entire group — military and political branches — in 2021, specific sanctions against Hassan Nasrallah, the former secretary-general of the organization assassinated on Sept. 27 by an Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, were likely aligned with these broader measures.
At that time, the decision was made due to concerns about Hezbollah’s activities, notably its “involvement in regional conflicts, its support for the Syrian regime, and its role in destabilizing the Middle East.”
Hassan Nasrallah had been under sanctions since the mid-1990s, with the United States leading the way. Other countries and organizations, such as the European Union, Canada and the United Kingdom, followed suit during the 2000s-2010s.
“No place for anti-Semitism”
Australia stated yesterday that there is “no place for anti-Semitism, hatred, or violence” on its territory. Hezbollah responded by calling on Canberra to “punish the Zionist murderers” and to side “with the oppressed, the Lebanese and Palestinian peoples.” The party added that “the whole world is witnessing the massacres and crimes committed by the Zionist enemy against innocent civilians in Gaza and Lebanon.”
The Australian government also announced sanctions against four entities accused of promoting violent, nationalist and racist extremist ideologies: the National Socialist Order, the Russian Imperial Movement, Sonnenkrieg Division and The Base.