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.
By mid-2024, it had built up an arsenal of over 10,000 drone units.
Authorities claim that Fadel Z was responsible for purchasing materials and products for drone construction worth around €1.4 million (£1.2 million) until his arrest in July 2024. These products came from various companies in Europe, China, and the US, including over 2,000 petrol and electric motors, and more than 600 propellers.
The Federal Prosecutor's Office considers these actions to constitute aiding and abetting attempted murder, given that some of the equipment he acquired was utilized in attacks on Israel, such as a drone targeting a retirement home during Yom Kippur.
The trial at the regional court in Celle is expected to last until August next year, amidst escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, after a series of exchanges of fire following the Gaza crisis set off in October 2023.
