US intelligence officials are reportedly concerned that Hezbollah could launch an attack in America as tensions rise over the terror group’s attacks on Israel.
The Lebanese group will likely first target American military or diplomatic personnel in the Middle East — but could also look on American soil, four unidentified intelligence officials told Politico.
“Hezbollah can use the capabilities they have … to put people [in] a place to do something,” warned one of the officers.
“It’s something to be concerned about.”
The four officials did not offer specifics on what type of attack is feared. However, they warn that Hezbollah has a vast international network — bigger than ISIS or al Qaeda.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also warned on Sunday that it was “a moment of deep tension in the region.”
“This is a conflict that can easily metastasize,” he said of the threat of it spreading.
US intelligence officials have warned that Hezbollah’s threat to attack America is increasing. AP
Iranian-funded terrorist groups’ motivation to attack the US has grown since the 2019 drone strike that killed former Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, officials said.
It may require a strong response if Israel does not slow the death toll in Gaza, one of the officials said.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel shortly after Hamas launched an Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state, with Hezbollah saying it was aimed at easing Israeli military pressure on Gaza.
Originally, US officials said the group was trying to avoid any confrontation with the United States.
“Iran, Hezbollah and their associated proxies are trying to calibrate their activities, avoiding actions that would open a second line with the US or Israel while still exacting costs in the midst of the current conflict,” Christy Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, testified at the hearing. congress in October.
“This is a very fine line to walk, and in the current regional context, their actions carry the potential for miscalculation.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned over the weekend that fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah on the Jewish state’s northern border “could easily metastasize.” AP
Since then, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have only worsened – with one Israeli military official warning that “another war” could break out in the region.
Over the weekend, the terrorist group fired about 40 rockets into Israel and attacked its air traffic control base on Mount Meron, forcing thousands of Israelis in the north to evacuate.
An Israeli airbase suffered some damage in the attack, but no one was killed.
Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Defense Forces reservists that the country was ready to go to war with Hezbollah if necessary.
“Of course, we would prefer this to be done without a widespread campaign, but that will not stop us,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel shortly after Hamas launched an Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish state, with Hezbollah saying it was aimed at easing Israeli military pressure on Gaza. AFP via Getty Images
“We give them an example of what happened to their friends in the south; this is what will happen here in the north,” Netanyahu said, referring to Israel’s ground attack on Hamas strongholds in Gaza.
“We will do everything to restore security,” he added.
The country then killed Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, deputy unit chief in Hezbollah’s Radwan force, in an airstrike on Monday.
On Tuesday, Ali Hussein Barji, the head of Hezbollah’s air force in southern Lebanon, was also killed in an explosion in the town of Khirbet Selm, where members of the Iran-backed terror group attended al-Tawil’s funeral, the Times of Israel reported. .
Barji is believed to be the mastermind behind the drone attacks that hit northern Israel.
The Israeli army killed Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, the deputy unit chief in Hezbollah’s Radwan force, in an airstrike on Monday. Xinhua/Shutterstock
In the wake of this attack, the US State Department has increased security at its embassy in Lebanon as the Biden administration tries to push back Hezbollah forces from Israel’s northern border.
Senior Biden adviser Amos Hochstein is expected to visit Beirut on Thursday, after Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials told Hochstein that there is only a short time to find a diplomatic solution that would prevent an all-out war, according to Axios.
He will meet with acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and other senior Lebanese government and military officials to advance discussions on restoring peace along the border, a White House National Security Council spokesman told the media.
“The United States has made clear it does not support the ongoing conflict that has spread to Lebanon, and continues to exhaust all diplomatic options to see Israeli and Lebanese civilians return to their homes and live in safety and stability,” the spokesman said in a statement.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
