BEIRUT: Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Monday that his party would continue to build up its arsenal to protect Lebanon against Israeli aggression and accused Washington of exporting terrorism.

"The ongoing Israeli threat forces the resistance to continue to boost its capacity ... in order to fulfill its role in liberating occupied territory," the head of the Lebanese Shiite militant group said in a rare news conference held via videolink to present Hezbollah's new political manifesto.

"The Israeli threat ... calls for Lebanon to have a defence strategy built on the presence of a popular resistance that helps to defend the country against Israeli aggression and a national army that protects the country and its stability."

Nasrallah also accused Washington of being the world's leading exporter of terrorism and urged nations around the globe to stand up against such a threat.

"There is no question that American terrorism is the origin of all terrorism around the world," said Nasrallah, whose party is considered a terrorist organisation by Washington.

He accused former US president George W. Bush of having turned the United States into a threat for the rest of the world.

"If a survey were to be held today, the United States would be the most hated nation in the world," said Nasrallah, who lives in hiding for fear of Israeli assassins and rarely appears in public.

"Standing up to the US threat must be a worldwide effort," he added. "This is a delicate and difficult task ... and one that will involve generations to come."

Hezbollah, which is backed by Tehran and Damascus, fought a fierce war with Israel in 2006 that destroyed much of southern Lebanon.

The party is the only faction which refused to disarm following the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. It argues that its weapons are needed to protect the country against Israel.