ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi government on Thursday delisted Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis as terrorist entities and unfroze their assets, saying an earlier list accusing them of “terrorist acts” was “published before revision.” 

Iraq’s Committee for Freezing Terrorist Funds earlier on Thursday published a decision through the Official Gazette ordering “the freezing of terrorist assets” of 24 entities, including Hezbollah and Ansar Allah (Houthis), on charges of “participating in committing a terrorist act.” 

However, it quickly revoked the decision, saying the list was published before revision, as many circles across the country expressed shock over their inclusion. 

“The inclusion of other entities’ names was due to the list being published before revision, and the information published in the Iraqi Gazette will be corrected by removing those entities and parties from the list of entities,” state media cited the anti-terror committee as saying. 

It further explained that the list was exclusive to parties and entities linked with the Islamic State (ISIS) and al-Qaeda. 

A committee source confirmed to The New Region that Hezbollah and the Houthis are not included in the revised list. 

Hezbollah and the Houthis are key components of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” a network of proxy groups used by Tehran to expand its hegemony across the Middle East and counter Israeli and American interests. 

The Axis of Resistance also includes a myriad of Iraqi militia groups, which are strong allies of Hezbollah and the Houthis. 

A large portion of Iraqi society, especially within the majority Shiite community, considers the two groups as legitimate resistance against the Israeli state. 

The Committee for Freezing Terrorist Funds is affiliated with Iraq’s Council of Ministers and headed by Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) Governor Ali al-Alaq. It includes representatives from a spectrum of ministries, including the finance, foreign, and interior ministries, as well as the Integrity Commission and the Counter-Terrorism Service.