The activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have increased alarmingly in the Western Hemisphere. “Iran’s main regional objective is to establish a political, military, and paramilitary network, parallel to like-minded anti-U.S. movements and regimes, to counter its influence and erode its legitimacy in the Western Hemisphere,” think tank American Enterprise Institute (AEI) says in a report.
The terrorist organization Hezbollah has a presence in more than 40 countries worldwide. Its presence in Latin America is of growing concern, especially in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. For decades, one of the most active regions for this terrorist group has been the Triple Frontier between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, where security forces have found explosives and evidence of the group’s financing through narcotrafficking, German broadcaster DW reported.
This is how Hezbollah, the armed wing of Iranian foreign policy, operates. “They come in through Lebanese colonies, they look for a niche where they can install themselves, especially to enter illegal businesses such as drug trafficking, illegal mining, or money laundering. A large part of these resources is sent to Lebanon to finance its militia,” Argentine news site Infobae reported. “Hezbollah is one of the main reasons for the economic and social disaster that befell that nation [Lebanon]; once a successful model in the Middle East, it is now the Venezuela of the region: no electricity, brutal inflation, and millions of Lebanese fleeing in terror from what was once a great country.”
Iran’s entrenchment in Latin America involves a transition from an informal to a formal presence, while simultaneously growing its military activities. Iran initiated this strategy in the 1980s, through a covert presence in a handful of Latin American countries, under the guise of commercial and cultural exchanges.
“This cultural penetration allowed Iran and Hezbollah to integrate into the Muslim communities of the targeted countries. More importantly, Iran established infrastructure to insert intelligence agents and other subversive actors into the region,” writes AEI. “These agents, in turn, provide on-the-ground information and local knowledge of the challenges and opportunities available to Iran in Latin America.”
Iran uses Hezbollah for its political objectives, but it also has an agenda of its own. The last visit of the Iranian president to the region, in June 2023, was to Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua, a clear indication of the Islamic Republic’s undertakings and with whom, Voice of America reported. “It’s clear that they are playing hand in hand with Russia to disrupt democracy, to create problems for the United States, and to consolidate autocracies and dictatorships in the continent,” Infobae reported.
Hezbollah profits financially as a service provider for international and local organized crime, corrupt official, and civilian authorities throughout Latin America, mostly through activities in the Triple-Border Area. Vast communities of Lebanese Shiite migrants settled in Latin America focusing their attention in that area, but also in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Venezuela. Reports indicate the existence of smaller communities in Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, and Panama.
“It’s important to emphasize that not all members of Lebanese communities participate in supporting and financing Hezbollah,” Emanuele Ottolenghi, senior fellow at think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies based in Washington D.C., told DW. “But whenever there is a presence of networks linked to the Party of God [Hezbollah in Arabic], they are mixed and mimicked in those Shiite communities.”
The Triple Frontier is “a commercial zone where a lot of money moves, with comprehensive infrastructure and very well connected to the rest of the world,” criminologist Juan Martens, director of the Institute of Comparative Studies in Criminal and Social Sciences of Paraguay and researcher at the National University of Pilar, told DW. “There are not only three international airports; there are also attractions such as the Iguazu Falls, making it a tourist area that allows for an anonymous presence, without attracting much attention.”
“It’s not that the State is not present in the area, but it is very permeated by different groups dedicated to illegal or criminal activities,” Martens added, denouncing the “institutional fragilization” in the tri-border area.
Argentina was the first Latin American country to expose Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2019, at the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist group attack against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires, in July 1994, which caused 85 deaths and 300 wounded. Two years earlier, in 1992, Hezbollah struck the Israeli Embassy, leaving 29 dead and 200 wounded.
In an October 2023 interview with Peruvian news site Exitosa Noticias, Colonel Max Anhuamán, head of the Peruvian National Police’s Directorate against Terrorism (Dircote), recalled how a decade ago the agency had monitored a member of Hezbollah, married to a Peruvian woman, whom it ultimately arrested for processing explosives. “The man,” said Col. Anhuamán, “acknowledged being from Hezbollah and had on his phone photos of Israeli and strategic locations, such as tourist sites and the international airport.”
“It would be easier to say in which countries it has no presence, because it has a fairly well-established network in Latin America, ranging from Mexico to Chile to Guatemala to Costa Rica,” Ottolenghi said. “But there are centers that are particularly important, such as the border area between Colombia, Panama, and Venezuela or the Triple Frontier, considered the center of Hezbollah’s operations in the region, especially Ciudad del Este.”
Hezbollah in Venezuela is in the illegal mining business, exploits a coltan mine near the border with Colombia, in addition to its narcotrafficking activities, infobae reported. “With the help of the Venezuelan regime, which has given passports and citizenship to many of Hezbollah’s terrorists, they infiltrated other countries, ready to act, and are already involved in illegal businesses throughout the region.”
“Iran has trained the Venezuelan Navy in its maritime asymmetric warfare, where they use small fast boats with missiles to attack much larger vessels,” infobae added. “It’s unknown how useful this is in view of the deplorable state of the Venezuelan Armed Forces, but the fact is that they already have this capability.”
Iran trains the military forces of both Venezuela and Nicaragua in asymmetric drone warfare, which has proven its importance in the Ukraine conflict. “Moreover, there is evidence of technology transfer with both countries to install weapon industries of this category, which creates an immense operational advantage for their military in case of an armed confrontation,” Infobae reported.
Hezbollah also has active terrorist cells that can sow chaos and terror when and where Iran needs it. On November 23, 2023, the Brazilian Federal Police arrested two people in São Paulo, accused of planning attacks on Jewish community buildings, including synagogues, on behalf of Hezbollah, Brazilian daily O Globo reported.
“After the massacres in Argentina against the AMIA and the Israeli Embassy, what is talked about today is whether it was carried out by Hezbollah, but what is not talked about is that Iran was behind these attacks. The recent events in Brazil are an alarm signal that this should not be played down,” Infobae reported.
The footprint of Iran and Hezbollah continues to grow in Latin America. Studying the actions of Iran and its proxies in the region is therefore a priority. “They are a clear threat to freedom that fly under the radar, but which must be made visible to neutralize it. Let us be warned, Brazil is just the beginning,” Infobae concluded.