US concerned about Hezbollah attacks against Jews

Janet Napolitano, secretary of U.S. Homeland Security

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said she is concerned that Iran-backed Hezbollah will attempt a terrorist attack on American soil.

The Homeland Security Department last week held a conference call with Jewish groups “who have been the intended targets in the past,” Napolitano said today in testimony before the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee.

“We remain in constant touch with them,” she said, adding that the U.S. isn’t aware of a specific threat of Hezbollah planning an attack.

Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group based in Lebanon, is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Israel and the U.S. have escalated their criticism of Iran in recent weeks for allegedly trying to develop nuclear weapons.

“We’re constantly monitoring” the Hezbollah threat, Napolitano said.

Iran loaded locally built fuel plates into its nuclear research reactor in Tehran, state-run Press TV reported today, showing images of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad inside the facility.