A Lebanese man has gone on trial in Celle, northern Germany, accused of being a member of Hezbollah - a Shia Muslim group whose military wing is proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the EU.
The 35-year-old man, named only as Fadel Z, in line with German privacy laws, is charged with having played a key role in procuring products for Hezbollah's drone programme.
The German Federal Prosecutor's Office said Fadel Z joined Hezbollah more than 10 years ago, first working in public relations.
In a statement, prosecutors said Fadel Z became a foreign operator for the group's drone programme in 2022, first from Barcelona in Spain. In the summer of 2023, he started working from Germany.
According to the statement by prosecutors, Hezbollah has been running an extensive drone programme for some time. Following Hamas's 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel, prosecutors said Hezbollah had systematically fired rockets and explosive-laden drones at both military and civilian targets in Israel.
To procure such drones, the organisation employs foreign operatives who covertly purchase components in Europe and export them to Lebanon. Fadel Z is accused of purchasing materials and products for drone construction worth around €1.4m until he was arrested in July 2024. The products included more than 2,000 petrol and electric motors and over 600 propellers.
Two of the engines purchased by Fadel Z were used in explosive drones that Hezbollah fired at Israel, one of which detonated inside a retirement home during Yom Kippur.
The trial is expected to last until August next year. Tensions have escalated in the region following military conflicts, culminating in an intense bombing campaign and ground incursions in Lebanon by Israeli forces, resulting in extensive casualties.
