Hezbollah could attack US to defend itself

 
Chief US spy says Lebanese group could stage anti-American attacks if threatened by US.

 
WASHINGTON, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - The Hezbollah militant group could stage an attack on the United States if it believed the US posed a direct threat to the group or to its alleged backer Iran, the chief US spy Michael McConnell warned on Monday.

"We assess Lebanese Hezbollah, which has conducted anti-US attacks outside the United States in the past, may be more likely to consider attacking the homeland over the next three years if it perceives the United States as posing a direct threat to the group or Iran," he said in written testimony to Congress.

The Lebanese Shiite militant and political organization is considered a "terrorist" group by the United States.

Iran, which is at loggerheads with the United States over its nuclear ambitions, is a vocal supporter of the Lebanese militant group. Tehran, however, denies Western charges that it provides arms to Hezbollah.

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