Leaders gather for a group photo at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. The 36th African Union Summit is taking place in the Ethiopian capital this weekend (AP Photo)

Hezbollah praised the African Union's move to expel the Israeli delegation from the Summit of African Heads of State and Government held in Addis Ababa.

Hezbollah's Arab and International Relations Bureau issued a statement praising "the move of the African Union summit to expel the Israeli delegation from the 36th Summit of African Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa."

Read: Algeria seeks to strip 'Israel' of observer status at African Union

Hezbollah's statement praised "the brave Algerian position, which resulted, in cooperation with the state of South Africa, in taking this step," and considered it "a sincere expression of the true Algerian national position rejecting normalization with the enemy, a position that has always characterized the Algerian state."

Read: Algerian lawmakers eye criminalizing normalization with “Israel”

Hezbollah reminded of "Algeria's strong historical support for the Palestinian cause and its permanent support for it and for the just Arab causes."

"All attempts at normalization between some Arab countries and this criminal entity are nothing but an illusion that the peoples of our nation will not accept," it added.

The Israeli delegation that sneaked into the African Union summit on Saturday in Addis Ababa was expelled, according to sources to Al Mayadeen.

Israeli media reported that the Israeli official, Sharon Bar-Lee, had all the necessary approvals to take part in the summit, but she was expelled from the African Union summit, under pressure from Algeria and South Africa.

The African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki stressed on Monday that Israeli diplomats who were escorted out of the Addis Ababa summit's opening ceremony by security were not invited to the event.

Algeria, South Africa played a key role in expelling Israeli delegation

Stripping "Israel" of its observer status at the African Union (AU) will be on the agenda of the regular African summit, which will be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on the 18th and 19th of February, Algerian media sources reported days ago.

It is noteworthy that in July 2021, "Israel" was granted the status of an observer member at the AU. The Israeli occupation's Ambassador to Ethiopia, Aleligne Admasu, presented his credentials as an "African Union Observer" to the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, at the organization's headquarters in Addis Ababa.

This was met with criticism from several Arab and African countries, who formally objected to the AU's decision.

Beginning in August of last year, the African Union Commission's chairperson was formally challenged by the Republic of Comoros, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Mauritania for accepting Israeli credentials as an observer member of the organization.

As a result, the AU decided unanimously in early February 2022 to suspend the decision to grant "Israel" observer status.