WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (Xinhuanet)-- The United States on Monday condemned rocket attacks by Lebanon's armed group Hezbollah against Israel while urging Israel to exercise restraint in its response.

    "We have made it very clear to the Lebanese government that they need to control the situation in southern Lebanon," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

    Hezbollah reportedly fired mortars and rockets at Israeli troops in a disputed border area Monday. Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery shelling of suspected guerrilla hideouts.

    Four Hezbollah guerrillas were reportedly killed in the Israeli counterattack.

    The latest Hezbollah attack showed the need of implementing UN Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the disarming of militias in Lebanon, McCormack said.

    While saying that Israel had a right to self-defense, the spokesman also urged Israel to use restraint its response to avoide scalating tensions in the region.

    As a military group in Lebanon, Hezbollah played an important role in fighting Israel, which ended its 22 years of occupation in south Lebanon in May 2000. Enditem