Nasrallah did not name the groups in an extensive interview with As-Safir newspaper, but Hezbollah is known to have close ties to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

"They (the Palestinians) have fighters and expertise. They can produce a missile by logging on to the Internet," Nasrallah said.

"What they need is financial, political and media support. And we do not deny that we help them on those fronts," he said.

It was the first time that the Hezbollah leader, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, publicly acknowledged funding Palestinian militant groups -- an accusation made by Israeli officials.

Nasrallah said his group used to channel weapons to Palestinian militants but stopped in December 2001 after Jordanian authorities arrested three Hezbollah members carrying Katyusha rockets from Syria, bound for the West Bank.

"After the Jordan incident and arrest of a number of our brothers, the Palestinians told us, 'This is costing you politically and is a burden for the fighters. Send us the money and we will take care of it ourselves,"' Nasrallah said, adding that the Palestinian militants got their weapons from "the mafia and Israeli officers."

Nasrallah has repeatedly called on various Palestinian factions to step up their armed uprising against Israel as the only way to liberate their country from Israeli occupation. But he has denied past Israeli accusations that the Iran-backed Hezbollah was directing suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis, or that it was a key sponsor of Palestinian violence.

His latest remarks take on added significance with the emergence last month of a Hamas-led Palestinian government. The United States and the European Union cut off funds to the Palestinian Authority because of Hamas' refusal to renounce violence and recognize Israel.

Nasrallah said Hamas should not have to recognize Israel.
"The people gave (Hamas) their confidence based on their commitment not to recognize Israel," he said.

Hamas and Hezbollah are both on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations, but are regarded in much of the Arab world as legitimate resistance movements against Israel. Hezbollah fought the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon until troops withdrew in May 2000, but still launches occasional attacks on Israeli forces in the Shebaa Farms area where the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel meet.

Iran & Hezbollah

The US appears to be extremely worried about Iran's involvement in the region. Yesterday U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said the United States wants a new U.N. Security Council resolution on continued Syrian interference in Lebanon and Iran's financial backing of guerrillas there.

Iran vowed on Wednesday to strike at U.S. interests worldwide if it is attacked by the United States, which is keeping military options open in case diplomacy fails to curb Tehran's nuclear program .

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made the threat two days before the U.N. nuclear watchdog reports on whether Iran is meeting Security Council demands to halt uranium enrichment.

The US intelligence experts believe Iran will use Hezbollah teams to carry out terrorist attacks worldwide ,in the event of a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Picture: Hezbollah organized this children rally today to mark the 10th anniversary of the 'Qana massacre'. Children carried mock Katyusha rockets and automatic rifles as they took part in the rally in front the United Nations offices in downtown Beirut, Lebanon

Source: Naharnet, AP, Ya Libnan