Photo courtesy of The Institute for National Security Studies
“Latin American countries are of special significance in Iran’s foreign and defense policy, based on the importance of the very sensitive South American region,” said Iran’s Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani.
Hezbollah has been expanding its foothold in the Americas, particularly through illicit networks in Latin America, and the steady shift toward socialist governments in the region has exacerbated the situation.
In 2022, Chilean President Gabriel Boric made headlines when he refused to accept the credentials of Israel’s ambassador, Gil Artzyeli, citing the killing of a Palestinian teenager by Israeli forces. Although Chile’s foreign ministry later apologized and rescheduled the ceremony, tensions continued. In 2023, Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with Israel, while both Chile and Colombia recalled their ambassadors from Israel, with Colombia accusing Israel of genocide.
These incidents reflect broader tensions between left-leaning governments in the region and Israel, with Boric’s decision being applauded by groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, highlighting the rising anti-Israel sentiment in parts of Latin America.
Brazil has similarly avoided taking a hardline stance against Hezbollah, as President Lula da Silva’s government has refrained from designating the group as a terrorist organization. Unlike Chile, which rejected Israeli diplomatic credentials, Brazil’s tensions with Israel have been more subtle, including the recall of its ambassador during the 2024 Gaza conflict.
This political antagonism toward Israel is ironic, given Mossad’s critical role in helping Brazil prevent a major terrorist attack in November 2023. At that time, Brazil’s Federal Police, with Mossad’s support, foiled a Hezbollah-planned attack targeting Jewish and Israeli sites in São Paulo. Two individuals linked to Hezbollah were arrested, including one caught at the airport after arriving from Lebanon. Subsequent raids in São Paulo, Brasilia, and Minas Gerais uncovered further evidence of Hezbollah’s recruitment efforts in Brazil.
In Argentina, President Javier Milei has not shied away from calling out Hezbollah and Iranian agents, accusing them of being active in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Milei visited Israel in 2024 to show his support for Israel’s war against Hamas. His hardline stance against globalism and his accusations of Iranian and Hezbollah influence have made him a controversial figure, with many opposing his view.
Nonetheless, Milei stands as one of the few leaders in the region pushing back on this growing threat, drawing attention to the broader geopolitical struggle taking place in Latin America between rising leftist governments and their shifting alliances. The leftist governments in Latin America have provided an opening for transnational terror networks, which ultimately lead back to Iran through its proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Hezbollah, along with Hamas and the Houthis, serves as one of Iran’s primary proxies, extending Tehran’s influence beyond the Middle East. In the Americas, Hezbollah has strategically expanded its operations since the 1980s, particularly in Latin America. The group has established significant networks, especially in the Tri-Border Area (Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil) and Venezuela, focusing on financing its global agenda through drug trafficking, money laundering, and smuggling. These illicit activities thrive in regions with weak governance and corruption, enabling Hezbollah to generate substantial revenue.
U.S. authorities have responded by imposing sanctions on Hezbollah-linked individuals in Venezuela and the Tri-Border Area, exposing their involvement in fundraising and smuggling operations. In 2020, Colombian authorities disrupted a major Hezbollah-linked money-laundering operation tied to cocaine trafficking. Hezbollah has also utilized the Black Market Peso Exchange to launder drug money between Latin America and Lebanon.
In 2021, U.S. sanctions further targeted Hezbollah financiers involved in the narcotics trade, weakening their financial networks. Reports in 2022 highlighted Hezbollah’s growing connections with the Maduro regime in Venezuela, where the group has been involved in training paramilitary forces and facilitating arms trafficking. In 2023, U.S. authorities arrested individuals in Miami linked to a Hezbollah-backed drug smuggling operation, further demonstrating the group’s expanding role in international drug trafficking and its capacity to operate within the U.S.
As Israel intensifies its operations against Hezbollah, the risk of Hezbollah-linked attacks within the United States increases. This conflict is part of a broader proxy war with Iran, a country that not only threatens Israel but also poses a significant threat to the U.S. Iran’s growing influence in Latin America is especially concerning, as it has been training Mexican drug cartels in tactics such as the use of car bombs, suicide bombers, and improvised explosive devices, with the goal of carrying out attacks on U.S. soil.
While Israel’s fight against Hezbollah serves its own security interests, it also acts as a critical line of defense for the U.S. and other Western democracies. A victory for Israel in this ongoing conflict would help mitigate the threat Hezbollah poses, not only to Israel but also to the U.S. and its allies. Any pressure on Israel to scale back its military campaign against Hezbollah and Hamas would only serve to heighten the danger to Israel, pro-American Arab regimes, and the U.S. itself.
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