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Hizbullah's al-Manar TV Says Twitter Accounts Suspended

The Hizbullah-affiliated al-Manar TV has protested that most of its Twitter accounts have been suspended.

Al-Manar accused the U.S.-based social media platform of giving in to "political pressures."

"Account suspended," one such Arabic-language account, @almanarnews, read late Saturday.

"There is no place on Twitter for illegal terrorist organizations and violent extremist groups," a Twitter spokesperson told AFP.

The accounts in English, French and Spanish were also not available, but the Twitter handles of specific television shows seemed to be functioning.

Iran-backed Hizbullah is designated a "terrorist" group by the United States and several of its officials are under U.S. sanctions, but it is also a key political player in Lebanon.

The group held three ministerial posts and a majority with its Christian allies before Lebanon's cabinet fell this week after 13 days of mass anti-graft protests.

Hizbullah is the only group not to have disarmed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, and it fought Israeli troops who occupied southern Lebanon until 2000.

It has also been a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the neighboring country's eight-year conflict.

Source: Agence France Presse


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