Bush: By its Actions, Hezbollah Betrayed the Lebanese People

The United States will urge Middle East leaders to help boost pressure on Hezbollah as a means of solving the crisis in southern Lebanon, President George W. Bush said on Saturday.

The Bush administration has rejected calls for an immediate cease-fire and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who leaves on Sunday for a trip to the region, said she would focus instead on finding a sustainable end to the violence.

Previewing Rice's trip in his weekly radio address, Bush said she would "make it clear that resolving the crisis demands confronting the terrorist group that launched the attacks and the nations that support it."

Bush cited the role of Iran and Syria in providing help to Hezbollah.

"Their actions threaten the entire Middle East and stand in the way of resolving the current crisis and bringing lasting peace to this troubled region," said Bush, who is spending the weekend at his Crawford ranch.