Mossad aid Brazilian police in foiling Hezbollah attack on South American Jewish communities

A conspiracy to attack Jewish communities throughout Brazil was foiled after federal law enforcement officials worked with Mossad to detain two men purportedly linked to the Islamist terrorist group, Hezbollah.

Brazilian police made the arrests were in São Paulo on Wednesday during what law enforcement officials said was a joint operation to “disrupt the preparation of terrorist attacks.”

Other raids were coordinated throughout the South American country between federal and local law enforcement officials with intelligence from the Israeli spy agency.

Brazil boasts the second largest Jewish community in Latin America. More than 100,000 Jewish people live in the South American country, and 200,000 live in Argentina.

Last week, ADN reported that Chile was home to the largest Palestinian community in the world outside the Middle East.

Brazil's Federal Police said nearly a dozen raids were executed in the capital city of São Paulo, and also the state of Minas Gerais, according to a statement released by the government.

The two men arrested are being prosecuted for participating in a terrorist organization and conspiring to commit for terrorist acts, crimes that could result in prison sentences of more than 15 years.

Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed Shia Muslim group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, United Kingdom, Gulf Arab countries and many other nations including Israel.

Its terror operatives have tremendous political influence in Lebanon and are able to use their militia force to direct its military forces.

According to Mossad, the Israeli intelligence organization assisted Brazilian authorities to “foil a terrorist attack in Brazil,” which it said was “planned by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, directed and financed by the Iranian regime.”

Mossad said the suspected terrorists were planning to strike against “Israeli and Jewish targets in Brazil.”

“This was an extensive network that operated in additional countries," Mossad said in a statement.

The Brazilian-Israeli joint operation comes amid evolving transnational law enforcement efforts throughout Latin America.

Intelligence specialists have long said Mossad has exposed Hezbollah operations in South America's "tri-border area" between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

“Given the backdrop of the war in Gaza ... Hezbollah and the Iranian regime are continuing to operate around the world in order to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets," Mossad's said in its statement.

The recent success story to foil terror operations in the Latin American region come amid brewing tensions over the Israeli military response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks that left 30 Americans and 1,400 Israelis killed.

Several Latin American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Peru have criticized Israel’s military response. Bolivia severed diplomatic ties with the Jewish state earlier this month, and Chile recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv

When Chilean President Gabriel Boric also met with President Biden last week to discuss regional issues he also stressed criticism of Israel’s operations in Gaza. Biden rebuffed those concerns and said the U.S. remains committed to supporting Israel’s right to self-defense.

Argentina has one of the largest Jewish communities in the world.

In 1994, Hezbollah was accused of launching a 1994 bombing on the Amia Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires, an attack that killed 85 people.

Both Iranian officials and Hezbollah have denied any involvement, and Argentine law enforcement officials have failed to being anyone to justice over the tragedy.

In 2019, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in 2019.

It was followed by Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay. Brazil has not yet done so, but there is speculation in light of the recent event.