The US State Department on Wednesday strongly condemned the active role that Hezbollah is playing in Syria and demanded it withdraw its troops from the country, dpa reported. There has been an "unacceptable and extremely dangerous escalation," said spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki, citing an attackTuesday at a checkpoint near the Syrian border in which three Lebanese soldiers were shot to death. "We demand that Hezbollah withdraw its fighters from Syria immediately." Psaki said the attack at the army checkpoint near Arsal was"outrageous" and a stark reminder that the conflict in Syria poses an"incredibly dangerous threat" to Lebanon's stability. She said the US was deeply concerned about the attack and othercross-border security incidents and called on all parties to "act with restraint and respect Lebanon's stability and security."