Hamas and Hezbollah agreed to continue to use terrorism against Israel in spite of U.S. and Israeli pressure and a U.N. resolution calling for the dismantlement of the terror groups, a Hezbollah statement said yesterday.

The agreement was produced after a meeting between Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, who resides mostly in Syria, and Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah at a Hezbollah office in south Beirut.

The meeting focused on "pressure to which the resistance and steadfastness forces in Syria and Lebanon are subjected through [U.N.] Resolution 1559 and in Palestine through the continuing [Israeli] aggression on the Palestinian people," said the Hezbollah statement.

"Agreement was reached that the resistance and steadfastness option is the only option in confronting the current pressure," it said.

U.N. Resolution 1559, passed in September with strong American backing, calls for the dismantling of Hezbollah and armed Palestinian groups, including Hamas, and a complete withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Hezbollah criticized the resolution as an Israeli ploy to destroy the group.

It was not immediately clear whether the two terror groups discussed calls by PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas for a temporary cease fire with Israel. There have been reports Hamas had agreed to the ceasefire if Israel stopped military incursions into Palestinian territories to combat terrorism.

Hezbollah has been used by Iran and Syria to funnel money to finance Palestinian terror against Israel, security sources told WorldNetDaily. They said Iran and Syria have been financing Palestinian terrorist factions, including Popular Front and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, by passing money through Hezbollah accounts in Europe and the Arab world.

There has been much documentation, including traced bank accounts and admissions from Palestinian and Iranian leaders, that money passed through Hezbollah was earmarked for specific terror attacks.

Meshal told reporters after meeting with Nasrallah his group´s "resistance program is making progress in various fields, making successes and winning the support and confidence of our Palestinian people inside and outside (Palestinian areas)."

Meshal said Hamas´ relationship with Hezbollah was "strong. We are partners in this march of confronting a common enemy. In the same way south Lebanon was liberated, we have hope that all of Palestine will be liberated." (© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc. 01/31/05)