Hezbollah planning attacks on Americans in Middle East as well as on US soil, claims report

Iran-backed terrorist outfit Hezbollah is planning to strike Americans in the Middle East and even hit inside the United States, a report in Politico has claimed, citing four unnamed intelligence officials.

The publication claimed that the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorists are likely to target US personnel in the Middle East first - the ground for the ongoing war involving US ally Israel.

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“Hezbollah could draw on the capability they have...to put people [in] places to do something. It is something to be worried about," one of the officials was quoted as saying.

What makes Hezbollah different from other terror outfits such as the Islamic State or al-Qaeda is that it has an expansive international network, allowing its operatives to conduct jihadi operations on US soil. Other terror organisations usually have individuals inspired by their ideology carrying out lone-wolf attacks in the US and Europe.

Either way, if such an attack occurs, it could threaten a global spillover that Washington has desperately wanted to avoid. Moreover, it might draw the US back into the Middle East at a delicate time when its resources are being utilised to counter China and Russia. The latter might use Washington's change of priorities to go for the kill against Ukraine.

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Hezbollah attack on US military bases

The claims made by the outlet are not completely baseless. Hezbollah has already attacked US military bases in the region on multiple occasions - hinting at its future plans.

In December last year, the US military base of Kharab al-Jir in Syria was attacked by alleged Hezbollah terrorists. Previously, the Kharab al-Jir base was attacked in October 2023 on two consecutive days. At the time, the attacks were claimed by groups either directly controlled by Tehran or sharing the ideology of other groups currently fighting Israel

The fresh attack came in the backdrop of the US military carrying out retaliatory strikes in Iraq after three American soldiers were wounded in a drone attack on December 26 by Iran-aligned terrorists.

The White House accused Iran of “actively facilitating” rocket and drone attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria. President Joe Biden has since directed the Department of Defense to brace for similar attacks and respond appropriately.

“Iran continues to support Hamas and Hezbollah, and we know that Iran is closely monitoring these events and, in some cases, actively facilitating these attacks and spurring on others who may want to exploit the conflict for their own good or for that of Iran,” said White House spokesman John Kirby at the time.

Despite US retaliation, the continuous attacks by Iran-backed non-state actors suggest that Tehran is willing to use itsextensivenetwork of well-armed, aggressive and well-coordinated proxies, especially Hezbollah, to corner Washington.

(With inputs from agencies)