LIMASSOL, Cyprus — A Hezbollah operative who worked as a courier for the group in Europe said at his trial Thursday that he had instructions to record the arrival times of passenger flights from Israel to Cyprus, prompting Israel to press the European Union to formally declare the militant group a terrorist organization.

During a cross-examination, Hossam Taleb Yaacoub described himself as ‘‘an active member of Hezbollah’’ with the code name ‘‘Wael,’’ and said he had received a salary of $600 a month since 2010. Asked why he had a code name, he answered through an interpreter, ‘‘In general, the party is based on secrecy between members. We don’t know the real names of our fellow members.’’