The Arab League seems to have backtracked on recent remarks indicating that the 22-member organization had decided to reverse a March 2016 decision blacklisting Hezbollah as a terrorist group, Al-Arabiya news channel reported on Tuesday.

Hossam Zaki, the Arab League's assistant secretary general, was quoted as saying that the statements he made on Saturday, in which he suggested that the pan-Arab organization will no longer classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, were interpreted out of context.

In a statement, Zaki explained that he had not intended to imply that "the numerous reservations and objections to Hezbollah's behavior, policies, actions, and positions, both domestically and regionally, have disappeared," as reported by Al Arabiya.

Zaki reaffirmed the Arab League's commitment to "maintaining Arab national security and combating terrorism."