WASHINGTON, January 11. /TASS/. US intelligence agencies believe that Hezbollah militants may carry out attacks inside the United States or target American diplomats overseas, Politico writes, citing officials familiar with the intelligence.

The officials believe that "the Iran-backed militant group would likely target US personnel in the Middle East first."

"US intelligence agencies are gathering data on Hezbollah that suggest it could be considering attacks on both US troops or diplomatic personnel overseas," the media outlet said. "The chance for an assault on US soil is also growing as tensions in the region escalate," Politico added.

However, the officials declined to detail the specific kind of attacks Hezbollah could carry out. According to them, Hezbollah "has an expansive international network that would allow the group to use its operatives to carry out an attack in the United States." Meanwhile, intelligence agencies say that other groups in the region don’t have such capabilities.

Politico points out that an attack inside the US or an assault on American troops and diplomats overseas "would deal a blow to the Biden administration." "It would also likely draw Washington back into the Middle East at a time when it is trying to focus its national security resources on countering China and Russia," the media outlet concluded.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated earlier that the Israeli and Lebanese authorities, as well as the Hezbollah Shia movement, were seeking to avoid an escalation, while Washington was trying to facilitate their efforts diplomatically.

Abu Taqwa, a commander in the Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba group, was killed in a US drone attack in Baghdad on January 4. On December 26, 2023, the US Central Command said that strikes had been conducted on targets belonging to the Kataib Hezbollah Shia group targets in Iraq in response to attacks against the US-led coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi authorities condemned the US strikes as a hostile act violating the country's sovereignty.