Hezbollah Cells Active In Venezuela Alleges Israel

Hezbollah has set up command posts in Venezuela and sends operatives on intelligence missions to neighboring countries, an Israeli government official said. Hezbollah has invested a lot of time and effort in planning attacks against Israeli or Jewish targets in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru, the official told Yedioth Aharonoth Thursday.

Many of the organization's operatives are in industrial zones, particularly those linked to the oil industry, which attracts workers from the Middle East.

Venezuela's Foreign Ministry says a top Israeli diplomat's allegations that Hezbollah cells are operating on Venezuela's Margarita Island and along the Venezuelan-Colombian border are "ridiculous".

"There are many mosques that serve not only as places of worship, but also to collect money that's sent to the Middle East," Dorit Shavit was quoted as saying in an interview with Colombian newspaper El Tiempo published Sunday.

In a statement on Tuesday, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry called the allegations "ridiculous." President Hugo Chavez, meanwhile, complained that the allegations - combined with a recent U.S. congressional report criticizing Venezuela's anti-drug efforts, and Colombia's decision to allow the U.S. to expand its military presence in that country - constitute "aggression."

• “Hezbollah operating in S. America”, UPI, 8/13/09.
• “Israeli government denounces emergence of Hizbullah cells in Colombia”, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 7/21/09.
• “Hezbollah presence in Venezuela feared”, LA Times, 8/27/08.
• “Hezbollah: Most Powerful Political Movement in Lebanon”, Council on Foreign Relations, 5/29/08.
• “Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil”, Book Review, Carnegie Council, 3/15/05.