Germany officially designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization on Thursday and raided locations associated with the Iran-backed group as part of a new ban on its activities. German Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer called the Lebanon-based group a "Shiite terrorist organization" and instructed authorities across the country to search the homes of the organization's leadership. Raids were reportedly carried out at mosques, and the interior minister said authorities were directed to carry out early morning searches to prevent any destruction of evidence linking individuals or groups to Hezbollah activities.