Terrorism

The Senate passed a resolution Friday before leaving for the Christmas holiday that would encourage European countries to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. 

S. Res. 613, urges the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, impose sanctions and tells President Obama to provide information about Hezbollah to the European allies of the United States.

An official says all high-risk posts are being evaluated after a report faulted security problems at consulate in Benghazi.

A majority of voters are upset with the White House's handling of the September terrorist attack in Benghazi that left four Americans dead, but do not believe the Obama administration intentionally misled the public in the aftermath of the violence.

Only four in 10 of those surveyed in the CNN/ORC poll believe that statements, including those made by U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice suggesting the attack grew from violent protests over an anti-Islam YouTube video, were made with intention of misleading the public.

"But that does not let the White House off the hook. Only 43 percent are satisfied with the way the Obama administration has handled the matter in the past few months; half are dissatisfied," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

The news follows an independent panel's report that found “systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies" at the department.

An independent review of the deadly attack cites "leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels” of the State Department.

Clinton was expected to testify at a hearing this Thursday before she suffered a concussion during a fall last weekend.

The administration has been seeking to mend bridges with lawmakers who have felt deprived of information about the attack. 

The White House, lawmakers and the intelligence community will now determine how much of the classified report can be shared publicly.

The much-anticipated testimony could be delayed if the independent review of events before and during the terrorist attack isn't ready.

U.S. lawmakers and government officials urged Pakistan to do more to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices during a Senate hearing Thursday.

Cooperation to prevent the smuggling of IEDs and the ammonium-based fertilizer used to make them into Afghanistan has improved since U.S.-Pakistani relations hit a low point last year, but IEDs remain the top killer of NATO and Pakistani troops on both sides of the border. There have been 14,500 IED explosions and deactivations in Afghanistan so far this year, according to the Pentagon, up from 9,300 in 2009.

“Like you, I believe our Pakistani partners can and must do more,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, the director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization at the Pentagon. “We cannot solve this IED challenge without our Pakistani partners” both in government and the chemical industry.