WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Should the close and ongoing alliance between the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran be a cause for concern to the West?

Particularly in the aftermath of the assassination in Damascus earlier this month of a top Hezbollah operative, indeed, say a number of observers, all threats should be considered seriously.

And if one is to take Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah, at his word, then yes, by all means, they should be taken very seriously. If past records are any indication to go by, Hezbollah, whether one hates what it stands for or supports it avidly, has usually done what it has said it would do. Especially Nasrallah.

But now throw in the Iran factor -- with its potential to become a nuclear power in the very near future -- combined with the knowledge that Iran has long cherished the desire to play the dominant role in the Middle East and the Islamic world, and the threat leveled is multiplied by two.

Nasrallah warned that his organization would seek revenge for the killing of one of its top commanders. Imad Mughnieh, who was assassinated in Damascus, was considered by Western and Israeli intelligence services to be one of the most dangerous terrorists in the world, but at the same time he was revered by many within the Shiite community and hailed as a hero.