A senior counterterrorism official said on Thursday that caches of ammonium nitrate belonging to Hezbollah have been found across Europe.

“I can reveal that such [Hezbollah weapons] caches have been moved through Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland,” said Nathan Sales, the coordinator for counterterrorism at the US State Department, at an online American Jewish Committee event.

“I can also reveal that significant ammonium nitrate caches have been discovered or destroyed in France, Greece and Italy.”

“It’s not what you would expect from a political organization, but it’s exactly what you would expect from a terrorist group. Why would Hezbollah stockpile ammonium nitrate on European soil? The answer is clear: Hezbollah put these weapons in place so it could conduct major terrorist attacks whenever it or its masters in Tehran deemed necessary.”

“The bottom line is that the EU’s approach since 2013 simply hasn’t worked,” Sales asserted. “The limited designation of Hezbollah’s so-called military wing hasn’t dissuaded the group from preparing for terrorist attacks across the continent.”

“Hezbollah continues to see Europe as a vital platform for its operational, logistical, and fundraising activities. And it will continue to do so until Europe takes decisive action.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)