US turns heat on Hezbollah, slaps rewards on leaders 10/11/2017 9:08:48 AM US says Countering Hezbollah is a top priority for the Trump administration. WASHINGTON (AFP) - 11 October 2017 - The United States stepped up its rhetoric against Hezbollah on Tuesday, slapping rewards on two commanders and urging allies to blacklist the Lebanese armed group. President Donald Trump is due to unveil a new strategy to counter Iran later this week, but in the meantime senior officials singled out Tehran's ally in Syria and Lebanon. Washington and the Lebanese movement have been foes since 1983, when the group was blamed by for deadly suicide bombings against its embassy and a US barracks in Beirut. Since then Hezbollah has become a powerful military force in the region and been implicated in several international attacks -- but also a fixture in Lebanese politics. Some US allies impose sanctions on Hezbollah's 'military wing' while tolerating the ...