Following the European Union foreign ministers’ decision to put the military wing of the Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations, global and local reactions converged, heralding what seems to be a new era for the Lebanese Shiite group.

The United States applauded the EU's designation of the military wing of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as a "terrorist organization," US Secretary of State John Kerry said.

"With today's action, the EU is sending a strong message to Hezbollah that it cannot operate with impunity," Kerry said in a statement, calling the move by the European Union "an important step."

U.S. State Secretary John Kerry said the designation showed "there are consequences" for Hezbollah's actions, "including last year's deadly attack in Burgas, Bulgaria, and for plotting a similar attack in Cyprus.

"This designation will have a significant impact on Hezbollah's ability to operate freely in Europe by enabling European law enforcement agencies to crack down on Hezbollah's fundraising, logistical activity, and terrorist plotting on European soil."

Britain, which had pressed long and hard for the decision, had no misgivings however that the EU was doing the right thing.

"In reaching this agreement, the EU has sent a clear message that it stands united against terrorism," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said at the end of the one-day ministers' talks.

Asked about the difficulty of targeting Hezbollah's military wing alone, he conceded it would not be straightforward.

"We will have to distinguish as best we can" between the various parts, he said, suggesting military and administrative sections could be identified.

Hague also said he recognised that "Hezbollah has a political role in Lebanon ... but violence ... is unacceptable".

Prior to the EU foreign ministers meeting, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said it was important to show that the EU countries were united in face of terrorism.

"We cannot allow the military wing of Hezbollah to carry out terrorist activities in EU ... we think we have to answer such activities ... and the answer is to blacklist them," he said.

"There's no question of accepting terrorist organisations in Europe," French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters.

Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said in a statement that the EU had taken an important step by "dealing with the military wing of Hezbollah, freezing its assets, hindering its fundraising and thereby limiting its capacity to act".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the European Union's decision to label Hezbollah's military wing as a terror organization, but criticized the decision to blacklist only the military wing of the organization instead of all Hezbollah wings

Israeli Justice Minister Tzipi Livni praised the EU decision Monday to blacklist Hezbollah's armed wing, which she said made clear that the Lebanese Shiite group is a "terrorist organisation".

Chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Avigdor Lieberman, deemed the EU's decision to include the military wing of Hezbollah in its list of terrorist organizations, as not enough, saying "as usual the Europeans only went half-way, and making a partial decision is insufficient."

"The military wing and the political wing of Hezbollah are two sides of the same coin. At the head of each stands Hassan Nasrallah. The attempt to present the group as if it is partially extremist and partially moderate is like asking if a cannibal can be a vegetarian," said Lieberman.

On the local level, Lebanese President Michel Sleiman voiced his hope that the European Union reconsiders its decision to blacklist Hezbollah.

“We hope the EU reconsiders its decision out of [its] keenness not to take hasty decisions, to preserve Lebanon’s stability and to [endorse] the main choices taken in the framework of the national dialogue committee, which discuss mainly the provisions of the Baabda Declaration and the presidential vision on the national defense strategy,” Sleiman said during his meeting with EU Ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst.

Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, wished the EU countries had carried out a careful reading of the facts and sought out more information before placing Hezbollah's military wing on the union's terror list.

"The Lebanese society, in all its components, is keen on committing to international legitimacy and maintaining best relations with EU countries. We will follow up on this issue through diplomatic channels", Mikati said in a statement.

Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said the decision was "hasty" and could lead to further sanctions against the movement that would complicate Lebanese politics.

"This will hinder Lebanese political life in the future, especially considering our sensitivities in Lebanon," he told Reuters. "We need to tighten bonds among Lebanese parties, rather than create additional problems."