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Hizbullah Unmasked
(New York Times) Thomas E. Donilon - On Feb. 5, after more than six months of investigations, the Bulgarian government announced that it believed Hizbullah was responsible for the attack last July that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver and injured dozens more in the resort town of Burgas. This report is significant because a European Union member state, Bulgaria, explicitly pointed a finger at Hizbullah and lifted the veil on the group's continued terrorist activities. Europe can no longer ignore the threat that this group poses to the Continent and to the world. Hizbullah first gained notoriety in 1983 after bombing the U.S. Embassy in Beirut - an attack that killed 63 people. Shortly thereafter, Hizbullah bombed the American and French Marine Barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Americans and 58 French service members. European governments must respond swiftly. They must disrupt its operational networks, stop flows of financial assistance to the group, crack down on Hizbullah-linked criminal enterprises and condemn the organization's leaders for their continued pursuit of terrorism. The U.S. applauds those countries that have long recognized Hizbullah's nefarious nature. Europe must now act collectively and respond resolutely to this attack by adding Hizbullah to the EU's terrorist list. The writer is the national security adviser to President Obama.