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Steven Emerson,
Executive Director
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February 8, 2019
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Amid
Venezuela Chaos, Iran and Hizballah Maintain South American Foothold
by IPT News • Feb 8, 2019 at 9:31
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed Wednesday that Iran and its
terrorist proxy Hizballah will exploit the political and economic chaos in
Venezuela to preserve their reach throughout South America.
"People don't recognize that Hizballah has active cells – the
Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South
America," Pompeo said in an interview with FOX Business, adding, "we have an
obligation to take down that risk for America."
Instability continues to grow in Venezuela as competing factions vie
for power in the socialist country. Following President Trump's lead,
several major western countries last month recognized Venezuela's national assembly president Juan
Guaido as the country's legitimate president.
Under the reign of former President Hugo Chavez, Iran exploited friendly
ties with Venezuela to establish terrorist networks throughout region. Iranian
and Hizballah operatives have cultivated and consolidated
operating bases in South America, especially in the tri-border area
(TBA) of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. With a large Muslim population
featuring significant numbers of Hizballah sympathizers, the terrorist
organization uses this area for recruitment, arms smuggling and drug
trafficking, and logistics planning for terrorist operations.
A year ago, the Trump administration levied sanctions against Venezuela's then-vice
president Tareck El Aissami after an extensive Treasury
Department investigation identified him as a key figure in the global
narcotics trade with ties to Iran.
That month, CNN received a 2013 secret intelligence document from
several Latin American countries highlighting serious links between El
Aissami and 173 Venezuelan identification cards and passports
issued to people from the Middle East, including Hizballah-affiliated
personnel.
Hizballah also relies on legitimate businesses and front organizations
in the region, diversifying its terrorist financing profile to generate a
significant portion of its revenues from its Latin American operations.
With Venezuelan help, the terrorist group continues to expand its presence
and consolidate support in other Latin American countries. Hizballah even registered
as a political party in a Peruvian region characterized as having that
nation's largest Muslim population.
Yet Hizballah's regional operations are not confined to South America.
In 2011, Virginia prosecutors said that a Lebanese man helped the Mexican Los Zetas drug cartel smuggle of
more than 100 tons of Colombian cocaine. The U.S. Treasury Department
claimed that Hizballah benefitted financially from the criminal network.
The nexus between Iranian-backed operatives – including Hizballah – and
Mexican drug cartels allows terrorists to earn big money to fuel their
violent operations. These ties also help Hizballah to make inroads into the United States through its
porous border with Mexico.
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