WarSclerotic

France has agreed to add Hezbollah’s military wing to its list of terrorist organizations, London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat reported on Friday, quoting a French official.

According to the report, France decided to blacklist Hezbollah after Bulgaria accused the organization in February of planning and carrying out last July’s terrorist attack in the Bulgarian beach resort of Burgas in which five Israelis and a local bus driver were killed, and because of Hezbollah’s involvement in aiding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his bloody fight against armed rebel groups.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius reportedly informed U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of the French plan when the two met on Wednesday.

Both the U.S. and Israel have put diplomatic pressure on the European Union to add Hezbollah to its list of terrorist organizations, especially after the Bulgarian bus bombing investigation suggested that Hezbollah was actively planning terrorist attacks on European soil.

European officials have been wary about imposing sanctions on Hezbollah, saying such measures could increase tensions in the Middle East.

Bulgaria presented the results of its bomb probe to EU foreign ministers on Feb. 18, urging them to take a harder stance toward Hezbollah. But two days later, Bulgaria’s government resigned after mass protests over an economic crisis.

Diplomat Marin Raikov, appointed interim prime minister pending elections in May, said Bulgaria would not initiate the EU procedure for blacklisting Hezbollah. Any other EU government could request such a move, but none has yet done so.

Some EU countries were “not sufficiently convinced” by Bulgaria’s evidence, Raikov said in Brussels on Wednesday.

“For Bulgaria it is of key importance to have a common position, to have a consensus on this [within the EU],” he told reporters during a visit to NATO headquarters.

“We will continue the investigation. We will continue to work on this very seriously, very actively. We will provide the needed evidence. But it’s not for Bulgaria to initiate the technical procedure for the listing [of Hezbollah]. I think that our partners will be able to do this once they reach a certain level of consensus on this issue.”

Bulgaria has not given a reason for not requesting that the EU list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. But Bulgarian opposition groups have argued that the country could open itself up to more attacks if it takes the lead in blacklisting Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has dismissed Bulgaria’s accusations and accused Israel of waging a smear campaign against it.

Israel blamed the Brugas attack on Iran and Hezbollah. Iran has denied responsibility and accused Israel of plotting and carrying out the bus bombing.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati resigned last week after a cabinet dispute with Hezbollah, a dominant force in Lebanese politics.

In Europe, only the Netherlands lists Hezbollah as a terrorist group, while Britain blacklists Hezbollah’s military wing.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said earlier this month that Britain would be in favor of Hezbollah’s military wing being blacklisted by Europe. This would force European governments and companies to cease any financial dealings with it.