The Israel-Hamas conflict exposed complex connections between Iranian-backed influence, illegal trade, money laundering, and propaganda, intertwined with global drug trafficking. Now more than ever, Latin American governments should rethink the threats of terrorism on their soil, a report from Global Americans, a U.S. think tank focused on democracy and human rights, indicated.
“The region faces growing instability over the past six years, which fuels the expansion of criminal organizations linked to Iran,” Jorge Serrano, a security expert and member of the advisory team of Peru’s Congressional Intelligence Commission, told Diálogo on January 10. “Groups like Hezbollah and Hamas have been fueled by the conflict in Gaza, exacerbating tensions and feelings of hatred in Latin America.”
This scenario poses significant challenges for the hemisphere. Increased violence could raise fuel costs, especially if conflicts expand, impacting the most vulnerable as seen in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, said Dr. Evan Ellis, research professor of Latin American Studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute.
“It is known that Islamic terrorist organizations become active in times of effervescence and tension, perpetrating attacks similar to those that took place in Argentina in 1992 and against the Israeli embassy and the AMIA Jewish Community Center in 1994,” Serrano said. “Not forgetting the tragic September 11, 2001, committed by the terrorist organization Al Qaeda.”
A report by the Peruvian Army Center for Strategic Studies points out that the aftermath of the AMIA attack spread to Panama the following day, with the explosion of an Atlas Airlines plane. This tragedy claimed the lives of 21 people on board, including Israeli and U.S. citizens.
On November 12, 2023, Brazilian authorities arrested an individual on terrorism charges with ties to a militant group in Lebanon associated with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, Global Americans indicated. This arrest follows two others made on November 8.
The detainees face charges of planning attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Brazil and association with terrorist organizations, evidence of a close connection, and that these links do not arise in isolation, Global Americans said.
“The recent attack in Brazil, dismantled by the Federal Police with the help of intelligence provided by Mosad, Israel’s secret service, represents a latent threat to the Latin American region, evidencing a new modus operandi of these terrorist organizations,” Serrano said.
The incident in Brazil should be a wake-up call, especially for the 350,000 members of the Jewish community in Latin America and the 6 million in the United States, who could be targets of possible terrorist acts. It is imperative that all countries in the region strengthen their precautions in the face of this latent threat, says Pucará Defensa, an Argentine security and defense research platform.
Urban terrorism
“The links between Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah are strengthened by the support of the Venezuelan dictatorship, which responds to the influence of Cuba and a superior one from Russia. There are growing concerns that these connections are transforming from criminal activities to acts of urban terrorism in Latin America,” said Serrano. “Governments must be alert and prepared for this new risk.”
These connections involve the use of criminal organizations such as the Tren de Aragua, which originated in Venezuela, marking a dangerous change of strategy that does not respect the lives of innocent people, Serrano said. It would not be surprising that Iran and Hezbollah, already present in the region for a long time, are training, advising, and financing criminal activities such as those of the Tren de Aragua, he added.
Evolution
Today, Hezbollah is a sophisticated and dangerous organization, armed, trained, and equipped with high technology, far from the revolutionary Hezbollah of the 1980s, a report from the Institute of International Relations of the National University of La Plata, in Argentina, indicated.
The report also highlights Hezbollah’s close relations with Iran and Syria, which influences its capabilities thanks to military, political, and financial support from both countries to attack Jewish, Israeli, and Western targets worldwide.
Its expansion to the Americas, with a presence in Canada, the United States, and the Triple-Border region comprised of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, shows its criminal and terrorist network. Operations have been reported in several Latin American countries such as Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela, the report states.
Migratory intelligence network
“Several governments mistakenly believe that by not joining in a combined strategy against classic terrorism and its new forms, such as Iran and Hezbollah, they could avoid being affected; thus yielding to the blackmail of terrorism,” Serrano said. “The reality is different, and they could be attacked at any time, regardless of their position, which makes it difficult to form a solid coalition.”
In contrast, there are encouraging news on the horizon. In early 2023, Ecuador, backed with European support, initiated the development of a novel approach to counter threats from terrorist organizations, drug trafficking, and crimes associated with the forced displacement of populations across borders. This new strategy involves the creation of a migration intelligence network.
The system plans to connect various state agencies such as the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, the migration agency, and the country’s access points and borders such as airports, seaports, and checkpoints. Its main objective is to anticipate the arrival of suspicious persons or terrorist groups in the country.
“Despite being in the construction phase, its replication is planned in neighboring countries such as Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and others in the region, given the movement of these criminal organizations, unpunished, through this area,” Serrano concluded.