US President George W. Bush stopped short of accusing Hizbullah of having a direct link to Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army in his statement on the situation in Iraq, but his mention of the party comes amid increased speculation in the West over links between the two groups.
Sadr "has ... publicly supported the terrorist groups Hamas and Hizbullah," Bush said in his remarks Tuesday evening. There have also been several reports in the American and British media saying that the uprising against US forces in Iraq was partly orchestrated by Hizbullah.
Yet while suspicions may be growing in Washington, some analysts and observers in the region say they doubt that direct links between the two groups are likely.
Nizar Hamzeh, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said he did not think that there was any cooperation between Hizbullah and Sadr.
"There is no evidence to suggest they are linked organizationally," said Hamzeh.
He said similarities between the two movements were unlikely to extend past ideology.
"All Shiite groups are sympathetic toward each other, but sympathy does not necessarily suggest that these two groups are connected."
Hamzeh said he did not believe Hizbullah had an immediate interest in entering into the Iraqi theater. He added that he thought the Shiite political groups that emerged after the fall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein this time last year were not in need of Hizbullah's support.
"I think they have enough manpower. Regarding training, some of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq had good training in Iran ... I don't see how Hizbullah is going to make a difference."
An official at the US State Department, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that there was little proof that Hizbullah operatives were actually involved with the uprising against US forces in Iraq.
"While there are probably members of Hizbullah in Iraq, there is little evidence to suggest that they are actively involved in the violence," the US State Department official said.
One European with experience in political Islamic groups, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said that while he was dubious about direct cooperation between Hizbullah and Sadr, historical links between the Shiite communities in Lebanon and southern Iraq meant it was likely they could share similarities.
"Clearly there is a long-standing family connection between Muqtada al-Sadr and Hizbullah in terms of his relations to (founder of the Amal Movement) Musr al-Sadr."
He added that given these links, and the nature of Shiite political movements everywhere, similarities between the two movements were likely.
"It would be surprising if we did not see some closeness between the two groups," he said.
He also said Najaf, Sadr's stronghold, had been a center of Shiite political thought which had influenced Hizbullah.
The source also said the Israeli government would be keen to fuel rumors of links between the two groups to use as a basis for subsequent action against Hizbullah in Lebanon.
Hizbullah officials declined to comment.
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