- Source: Hezbollah in Latin America
Hezbollah in Latin America is a splinter organization of the Shia Islamist Lebanon-based group Hezbollah which operates in throughout South America.
History
The group was established in the 1980s in the tri-border region of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina which was considered a safe haven for the group's operations of smuggling, recruitment, and plotting of attacks. They expanded into Venezuela with some degree of sponsorship from the Venezuelan state. They also receive funding from the Iranian state to conduct operations against U.S. and Jewish interests in South America with many of the members of the group being Arab Muslims who either immigrated or were born in South America. The establishment was also seen as a way for Iran to get more leverage against the U.S., with this formation being taken as the setting up of a South American proxy terrorist network. The group's headquarters are in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay. In September, 2023, the United States Department of State designated Hezbollah in Latin America and other operatives associated with them as terrorists.
In 1994 the group bombed the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association building. Though a Palestinian Jihadist group took responsibility as a front for Hezbollah.
= Terrorism after October 7th
=After the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel and throughout the Israel–Hamas war, Hezbollah was accused of planning to carry out terrorist attacks against Jewish and Israeli civilians in South America.
In November 2023 two men who had links to Hezbollah in Latin America and the main group of Hezbollah were arrested by Brazilian police. One of the men was arrested in the international airport in São Paulo after coming from Lebanon into Brazil. The plan that the men had was to attack Jewish communities in Brazil, but the plan was foiled with assistance from the Mossad intelligence agency. In addition to these arrests, the Brazilian police executed 11 search warrants in relation to the recruitment of extremists in Brazil.
Revenue
Most of the group's international revenue comes from Iran, with some funds being laundered from Venezuela. Some of the revenue that is gained by Hezbollah in Latin America goes towards the main group in Lebanon to make up for loss of funds in Lebanon. A lot of the funds they receive in South America come from the smuggling of illegal items through the tri-border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay which is used to fund terroristic activities. Many of these items include drugs, stolen goods, weaponry, and pirated content which is funneled through money laundering. The group also funnels cocaine through Colombia and Venezuela. Selling illegal goods make up around 60–70% of all of the group's revenue. Hezbollah in Latin America has been compared to MS-13 and the Mexican cartels with the Maduro Regime helping support Hezbollah in Latin America through the already prosperous Venezuelan–Lebanese in Venezuela being used as a starting point for them. Frequently, without the broader Lebanese community's knowledge of these covert operations, a network of logistical experts—including entrepreneurs, lawyers, and accountants—has developed within the diaspora in Venezuela. This network serves as a support system for Hezbollah, assisting in the raising, concealing, transferring, and laundering of illicit funds, some of which are used to finance its global terrorist activities, as detailed in the "Saleh Clan" section below. In Venezuela, Hezbollah's support network functions through compartmentalized, familial clan arrangements that integrate into the illicit economy controlled by the Maduro regime, as well as the regime's political structures and bureaucracy. Many of these clans are assimilated into the Venezuelan state and society through the extensive Lebanese and Syrian communities, which also extend into neighboring Colombia.
= Sanctions
=The United States have issued many sanctions against the group, but they have been more limited in South America compared to its Lebanese sector. These sanctions also targeted a member of Hezbollah in Latin America by the name of Amer Mohamed Akil Rada who is considered the main operative behind the AMIA bombing. This action was considered a way by the United States government to continue to combat Hezbollah operations as United States Department of State Spokesman Matthew Miller stated that the sanctions underscored the United State's commitment to not let the facilitators and financers of Hezbollah to continue to operate.