ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Tuesday approved the recommendations put forth by an investigative committee probing a retracted designation of Hezbollah and the Houthis as terrorist organizations by Iraq. 

Sudani chaired a meeting of the country's Council of Ministers on Tuesday, where he approved "the recommendations of the special investigative committee concerning" the retracted designation of Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis as terrorist groups by Baghdad.

The recommendations, according to a statement by Sudani's office following the cabinet meeting, included "administrative penalties, such as the dismissal of several officials, and the reassignment of others." 

Earlier in December, Iraq's Committee for Freezing Terrorist Funds 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.” 

The decision was retracted later on the same day, with the Iraqi government saying that the previous list had been "published before revision." Delisting the two groups was followed shortly after by an investigation order into their designation by Sudani. 

The premier instructed in early December that those responsible for the drafting or publication error be identified and held accountable, according to a statement, arguing that the decision did not accurately reflect Iraq’s actual policy position. It described Iraq's position on the conflicts in Lebanon and Palestine as "principled and unwavering." 

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