Hi in40892,
The fact that Hezbollah has chosen merely to harry Israel with minor attacks over the years is not indicative of its full potential for serious combat, nor its potential for serious terrorist operations.
I'm not talking about their current threat level to the USA, but rather their
*potential* for serious threat to the USA. They are a not only a better army, but also a better-organized and more competent terrorist organization, than al-Qaeda.
On September 5, 2002, Richard Armitage, US Deputy Secretary of State, declared that "Hezbollah may be the A-Team of terrorists, while al-Qaeda may actually be the B-Team."
Prior to 9/11, Hezbollah had killed more Americans than had any other terrorist organization.
Following is an excerpt from a different source (USA Today):
(excerpt)
"The A-Team' of terrorists
Terrorism investigators and analysts say Hezbollah could attack U.S. interests at home and abroad if the Bush administration were to take on Iran, the group's chief benefactor, or Syria, its supply pipeline between Lebanon and Tehran.
U.S.-Syrian relations have been strained by accusations that Syria helped top Iraqi officials flee coalition forces. Secretary of State Colin Powell recently warned Syrian President Bashar Assad against aiding Palestinian terrorist groups.
But when it comes to Hezbollah's potential threat on U.S. soil, the bigger worry is Iran and its reaction to U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq, says Magnus Ranstorp, director of the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St. Andrew's University in Scotland.
"If Iran's agenda isn't satisfied," he says, "the threat from Hezbollah to the U.S. rises exponentially."
U.S. officials have called Hezbollah (which means "party of God" in Arabic) "the A-Team" of terrorist organizations. A radical Shiite group, its leaders are known for carrying out synchronized attacks — a technique al-Qaeda has copied.
Within a year of its creation in 1982, Hezbollah carried out a suicide bombing that killed 241 people at the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters in Beirut. In 1985, Hezbollah members killed a U.S. Navy diver during the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 in Lebanon. And in the 1990s, the group kidnapped several Americans and Westerners.
Terrorism analysts say Hezbollah attacks on Americans declined as its leaders focused on making the transition from terrorists to political players in Lebanon. Equally significant, analysts say, Hezbollah and other radical Muslim groups realized that they could raise millions of dollars in the USA — legally and illegally — as long as they didn't draw attention by killing Americans.
So far, Hezbollah has no reason to jeopardize its money train, Ranstorp says. But if Hezbollah decides to target Americans, he says, "the cost-benefit calculation will be very rational."...
...
" More capable than al-Qaeda
U.S. officials say Hezbollah has more operatives in the USA than al-Qaeda, access to chemical and biological agents through Iran and active training camps in Lebanon.
"Hezbollah has a significant presence in the United States waiting for a call to action," says Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He says he is worried about law enforcement's ability to confront the threat.
The task is daunting, Ranstorp says. "Hezbollah is not an organization you just tackle. They are not some small hornets' nest you stick your hand in and get moderately stung. These are super bees who can, because of the Iranian connection, wreak serious havoc to the United States."(end excerpt)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...lah-usat_x.htm
The leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, has made the following statement: "Death to America was, is, and will always be our slogan."
You can find much more on the web about Hezbollah's capabilities if you care to do so.