U.S. peeved at British Hezbollah outreach

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WASHINGTON (JTA) — A U.S. official reportedly expressed displeasure with Britain’s decision to re-establish ties with Hezbollah.

Britain last week announced that it would resume limited contacts with the Lebanese terrorist group’s political wing, while avoiding its military arm.

The New York Times on Friday quoted someone it described as a "senior Obama administration official" as wanting Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s government to explain "the difference between the political, social and military wings of Hezbollah because we don’t see the difference between the integrated leadership that they see."

The Times reported that U.S. officials felt that they had been "blindsided" by the British announcement; British officials had announced their intentions to Bush administration officials, but had failed to update their Obama administration counterparts, according to the account.

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