Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member Eliot Engel released the following statement on the European Union’s decision to place Hezbollah’s military wing on its terrorist list:

The EU’s decision to place Hezbollah’s military wing on its terrorist list is an important first step in confirming what we have known for many years -- that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization bent on sowing the seeds of instability and political violence not only in the Middle East, but around the world. With this decision now in place, I urge the EU to work quickly to impose asset freezes and travel bans on senior Hezbollah military officials. We know who many of these people are, how often they travel to raise funds and procure weapons, and where they keep their money.

However, the political and military wings of Hezbollah constitute a distinction without a difference. Money raised purportedly for the organization’s political arm often finds its way to the battlefields of Syria, or to finance terrorism. We know that those in political leadership positions within Hezbollah have been involved with or directed acts of terror. I urge Europe to keep up the pressure on all of Hezbollah and work to end its ability to finance and perpetrate these crimes.