Brazil arrested two this week over a potential ‘terrorist threat,' with Israel soon claiming the suspects were part of a Hezbollah cell seeking to attack 'Jews and Israelis'

Authorities in Brazil harshly criticized Israel’s recent claim that Hezbollah was involved in “terrorist” activity in the South American country, chastising Tel Aviv for using this case to “promote their own interests.” “The case is ongoing and must not be used by outside governments to promote their own interests,” Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on 9 November. “The warrants served yesterday regarding a possible case of terrorism are derived from decisions by the Brazilian Judiciary. If evidence exists, the Federal Police must investigate, to confirm or not the investigative hypotheses,” Dino added. The minister expressed Brazil’s appreciation for “international cooperation” but rejected “any foreign authority considering directing Brazilian police bodies, or using investigations that we are responsible for to promote their political interests.” He emphasized that the ongoing investigation began before the outbreak of the Gaza-Israel war. Brazilian police on 8 November arrested two individuals suspected of planning “terrorist attacks.”

The two were detained in an operation to “disrupt the preparation of terrorist attacks and secure evidence on the possible recruitment of Brazilians to carry out extremist acts in the country,” police said. The arrest was allegedly carried out in coordination with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. In a statement on 8 November, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "Security forces in Brazil, together with the Mossad and its partners in the Israeli security community, as well as other international security and law enforcement agencies, thwarted an attack in Brazil that Hezbollah, under the direction and funding of Iran, was planning to carry out." The statement claimed that the alleged Hezbollah cell was planning attacks on “Jews and Israelis” in Brazil. "These days, against the backdrop of the war against the terror group of Hamas, the terror group of Hezbollah and the Iranian regime continue to operate worldwide to carry out attacks against Israeli, Jewish, and western targets." 

This is not the first time Israel claims it thwarted Iran-linked attacks in foreign countries. Several Latin American countries have downgraded diplomatic relations with Israel in response to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip. In late October, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that what is happening in Gaza "Is not a war. It is a genocide that led to the killing of [thousands of] children who had nothing to do with this war. They are the victims of this war.”

Source: The Cradle