'Terrorist' Hezbollah group criticizes UK's move following US pressure

The Lebanese group Hezbollah condemned on Friday a British government decision to list it as a terrorist organisation, saying the move showed "servile obedience" to the United States.

The heavily armed Shi'ite group, which is backed by Iran, said in a statement it was a "resistance movement against Israeli occupation", describing the British move as an "insult to the feelings, sympathies and will of the Lebanese people that consider Hezbollah a major political and popular force". Britain said on Monday it planned to ban all wings of Hezbollah due to its destabilising influence in the Middle East, classing it as a terrorist organisation.