(JNS) Germany has said that it will not officially designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group, a development likely to cause tension between Berlin and Washington.

The country’s minister of state, Niels Annen, told Der Spiegel on Friday that the U.S.-designated terrorist group plays a crucial role in Lebanon, and that the European Union already blacklists the organization’s terrorist wing, reported Reuters.

This comes two weeks after the United Kingdom officially designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group, joining 12 other countries that have a similar designation.

Previously, the United Kingdom distinguished between the Hezbollah terrorist and political facets.