US intelligence reportedly fears Hezbollah could attack America: ‘It is something to be worried about’
US intelligence officials reportedly fear Hezbollah could launch an attack in America as tensions spill over from the terrorist group’s assault on Israel.
The Lebanese group will likely first target American military or diplomatic personnel in the Middle East — but could also have sights on American soil, four unidentified intelligence officials told Politico.
“Hezbollah could draw on the capability they have … to put people [in] places to do something,” warned one of the officials.
“It is something to be worried about.”
The four officials did not offer specifics on what type of attacks are feared. However, they warned that Hezbollah has an expansive international network — greater than those of either ISIS or Al Qaeda.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also warned on Sunday that it is “a moment of profound tension in the region.”
“This is a conflict that could easily metastasize,” he said of the threat of it spreading.
US intelligence officials have warned that the threat of Hezbollah attacking America is growing. AP
The Iranian-funded terror group’s motivation to strike the US has grown since the 2019 drone strike that took out former Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, officials have said.
It may seek a strong response if Israel does not slow the death toll in Gaza, one of the officials said.
Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel shortly after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish country, with Hezbollah saying it aims to ease the Israeli army’s pressure on Gaza.
Originally, US officials said the group was trying to avoid any confrontation with the United States.
“Iran, Hezbollah and their linked proxies are trying to calibrate their activity, avoiding actions that would open up a concerted second front 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 a congressional hearing in October.
“This is a very fine line to walk, and in the present regional context, their actions carry the potential for miscalculation.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned over the weekend that the fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah on the Jewish nation’s northern border “could easily metastasize.” AP
Since then, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have only worsened — with an Israeli military official warning that “another war” could break out in the region.
Over the weekend, the terrorist group launched about 40 rockets into Israel and struck its air traffic control base on Mount Meron, which forced thousands of Israelis in the north to evacuate.
The Israeli air base suffered some damage in the attack, but no one was killed.
Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli Defense Forces reservists that the country is ready to go to war with Hezbollah if the need arises.
“Of course, we prefer that this be done without a widespread campaign, but that will not stop us,” he said, according to the Times of Israel.
Hezbollah began firing rockets at Israel shortly after Hamas launched its Oct. 7 attack on the Jewish country, with Hezbollah saying it aims to ease the Israeli army’s pressure on Gaza. AFP via Getty Images
“We gave them an example of what is happening to their friends in the south; this is what will happen here in the north,” Netanyahu said, referencing 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, the deputy head of a unit in Hezbollah’s Radwan force, in an airstrike on Monday.
On Tuesday, Ali Hussein Barji, chief of Hezbollah’s aerial forces in southern Lebanon, was also killed in an explosion in the town of Khirbet Selm, where members of the Iranian-backed terror group were attending al-Tawil’s funeral, the Times of Israel reported.
Barji was believed to have been the mastermind behind the drone attacks that have plagued northern Israel.
Israeli forces killed Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, the deputy head of a unit in Hezbollah’s Radwan force, in an airstrike on Monday. Xinhua/Shutterstock
In the wake of these attacks, the US State Department has increased security at its embassy in Lebanon as the Biden administration tries to push Hezbollah forces away 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 window of time to find a diplomatic solution that will 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 spokesperson told the outlet.
“The United States has made clear it does not support the ongoing conflict spreading into Lebanon, and continues to exhaust all diplomatic options to see Israeli and Lebanese civilians return to their homes and live in security and stability,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Source » msn.com
