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→Character, racism, fascism
====Latin America====
====Latin America====
[[File:Money-laundering-map-Artboard 1.png|right|450px|thumb|[[Project Cassandra]]: Red arrows: purchase and flow of used cars in [[America]] to be shipped to [[Africa]]. Yellow arrows: cocaine smuggling from [[South America]] to the United States, Africa, and [[Europe]]; drugs were shipped to Africa along with the used cars. The used cars were recorded as being purchased at inflated prices, with cash from illegal [[drug]] sales in the United States deposited in bank accounts. Green arrows: the flow of cash back to [[Hezbollah]] in [[Beirut]], with some freshly laundered cash sent back to America for purchase of more used cars.]]
The 'Hezbollah's global finance network' includes "The Triple Frontier" (in South America) - "Argentina, Brasil & Paraguay.",<ref>http://www.meib.org/articles/0201_l2.htm</ref><ref>http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HH03Aa01.html</ref>
The 'Hezbollah's global finance network' includes "The Triple Frontier" (in South America) - "Argentina, Brasil & Paraguay.",<ref>http://www.meib.org/articles/0201_l2.htm</ref><ref>http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HH03Aa01.html</ref>
==Character, racism, fascism==
==Character, racism, fascism==
[[File:Islamic Iran's Hezbolah taunts with Nazi weapon.jpg|thumb|Islamic fascist Republic of Iran's Hezbolah taunts with [[Nazi]] weapon.<ref>[https://www.jns.org/news/israel-news/watch-israel-uncovers-hezbollahs-nazi-made-weapons-and-iranian-arms]</ref>]]
A writer in the [[Christian Science Monitor]] explains that "Hizbullah's real goal is racist: To free the Middle East holy lands of Jews... Hizbullah's goal is not the "liberation" of Palestine. Its members are not Palestinian. They are (Arab) Islamic extremists who want to "liberate" all Islamic land."<ref>https://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0727/p09s01-coop.html</ref>
A writer in the [[Christian Science Monitor]] explains that "Hizbullah's real goal is racist: To free the Middle East holy lands of Jews... Hizbullah's goal is not the "liberation" of Palestine. Its members are not Palestinian. They are (Arab) Islamic extremists who want to "liberate" all Islamic land."<ref>https://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0727/p09s01-coop.html</ref>
[[File:Hezbollah-Support-Clans.jpg|thumb|Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime]]
[[File:Hezbollah-Support-Clans.jpg|thumb|Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime]]
"Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime." Explained: <ref>Joseph M. Humire, [https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/the-maduro-hezbollah-nexus-how-iran-backed-networks-prop-up-the-venezuelan-regime/ The Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime]. '"Atlantic Council'', Oct 7, 2020.</ref>
"Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime." Explained:<ref>Joseph M. Humire, [https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/the-maduro-hezbollah-nexus-how-iran-backed-networks-prop-up-the-venezuelan-regime/ The Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime]. '"Atlantic Council'', Oct 7, 2020.</ref>
Key Points:
Key Points:
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
* The United States, allies, and international institutions must ramp up regional counterterrorism collaboration, crack down on illicit financial networks, and build stronger ties with Lebanese and other Arab communities in Latin America.
* The United States, allies, and international institutions must ramp up regional counterterrorism collaboration, crack down on illicit financial networks, and build stronger ties with Lebanese and other Arab communities in Latin America.
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
From an Oct 2025 testimony: Global Gangsters: Hezbollah’s Latin American Drug Trafficking Operations.<ref>"[https://www.hudson.org/drug-policy/global-gangsters-hezbollahs-latin-american-drug-trafficking-operations-marshall-billingslea Global Gangsters: Hezbollah’s Latin American Drug Trafficking Operations]." By Marshall Billingslea, ''Hudson Institute'', Oct 21, 2025</ref>
Marshall Billingslea testified before the U.S. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control in October 2025, shedding light on Hezbollah’s drug trafficking and money laundering operations in Latin America, which fund its terrorist activities.
Key Points from Billingslea’s Testimony:
1. Hezbollah's Presence in Latin America:
* Hezbollah has been active in Latin America since the 1990s, starting with terrorist attacks in Argentina, such as the bombings of the Israeli Embassy (1992) and the AMIA Jewish Community Center (1994).
* Its "Unit 910" (External Security Organization) has expanded its infrastructure across the region, initially in Colombia and Paraguay, particularly in areas with weak governance and corruption.
2. <u>Initial Business Ventures</u>:
* Hezbollah established businesses, such as retail stores and trade-based money laundering operations in cities like Ciudad del Este (Paraguay) and Sao Paulo (Brazil), benefiting from lax enforcement on the border.
* Over time, it became involved in narcotics trafficking, starting with the smuggling of cocaine in charcoal, which was used to evade detection.
3. <u>Drug Trade Expansion</u>:
* By the mid-2000s, Hezbollah began forming alliances with Latin American drug cartels, especially in Colombia. The group trafficked cocaine through Venezuela and Syria, facilitating weapons exchanges with groups like the FARC.
* In 2015, authorities became more concerned about the scale of cocaine trafficking, particularly via Hezbollah-linked operations in Colombia.
4. <u>Financial Impact</u>:
* By 2018, it was estimated that as much as 30% of Hezbollah’s funds, around $200 million a year, came from Latin America. This revenue was crucial to the group’s operations, especially as financial support from Iran became more uncertain.
5. <u>Venezuela as a Hub</u>:
* Under the leadership of Hugo Chavez and later Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela became a critical base for Hezbollah, providing not only a safe haven but also logistical support for its operations. Hezbollah used Venezuelan passports and documents to facilitate operatives’ movements and identity concealment.
* Venezuela's regime cooperated with Hezbollah, awarding contracts to Hezbollah-controlled businesses and aiding in the distribution of false identification documents.
6. <u>Recent Developments (Oct 2025)</u>:
* Recent reports indicate that Hezbollah has increasingly relied on Venezuela as a safe haven, with 400 Hezbollah commanders reportedly ordered to relocate to Latin America, fearing targeting by Lebanese authorities.
<u>Conclusion</u>:
Billingslea stressed that Hezbollah’s expansion into the Latin American drug trade was a direct result of the group’s diminishing infrastructure in Lebanon and the increasing pressure on Iran. The Venezuelan regime has become a key player not only in facilitating Hezbollah’s drug operations but also in providing a refuge for its operatives. Moving forward, Billingslea warned that Hezbollah is likely to continue its reliance on Latin America to fund its terrorism, particularly through the drug trade.
This testimony emphasizes the growing importance of Latin America, particularly Venezuela, in Hezbollah's international operations and its funding mechanisms through drug trafficking.
Hezbollah-Venezuela (Chavez/Maduro) Connection.<ref>[https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/hezbollah-venezuela-connection The Hezbollah-Venezuela Connection: What You Don't Know]. ''JFeed'', Jan 6, 2025.<br>
For over 20 years, Hezbollah has built a sprawling terror network on Venezuela's Margarita Island, just 1,200 miles from Florida, with training camps, drug trafficking operations, and Iranian military support under the protection of the Maduro regime.:</ref>
{{Cquote|
For over two decades, Venezuela has served as a critical outpost for Hezbollah in the Western Hemisphere, with reports detailing the group's entrenchment on Margarita Island and ties to the former regimes of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro.
U.S. intelligence assessments and media investigations describe this presence as evolving from fundraising networks among the Lebanese diaspora in the 1980s to sophisticated operations involving training, smuggling, and financial schemes by the 2000s. Margarita Island, once a bustling tourist spot, has been highlighted as a primary hub, surpassing even the Tri-Border Area in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay for Hezbollah's regional activities.
Training Camps and Iranian Support.
Allegations of Hezbollah-operated training camps on Margarita Island surfaced as early as 2011, involving paramilitary instruction for recruits from Venezuela and other Latin American countries.
These facilities reportedly include political indoctrination, weapons handling, and drug-related operations, all under the protection of the Venezuelan government. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been implicated in providing [[logistics]], [[weapon]]s, and instructors on Venezuelan territory, including collaborations with local militias known as colectivos. Some recruits have been sent to Iran, including to Qom for ideological training, or to Lebanon. Reports also note that Hezbollah operatives and fighters have relocated to Venezuela following Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Illicit Networks: Drugs, Money, and Gold.
[[File:Money-laundering-map-Artboard 1.png|right|450px|thumb|[[Project Cassandra]]: Red arrows: purchase and flow of used cars in [[America]] to be shipped to [[Africa]]. Yellow arrows: cocaine smuggling from [[South America]] to the United States, Africa, and [[Europe]]; drugs were shipped to Africa along with the used cars. The used cars were recorded as being purchased at inflated prices, with cash from illegal [[drug]] sales in the United States deposited in bank accounts. Green arrows: the flow of cash back to [[Hezbollah]] in [[Beirut]], with some freshly laundered cash sent back to America for purchase of more used cars.]]
Hezbollah's operations in Venezuela are deeply intertwined with narcoterrorism, including partnerships with the Cartel of the Suns, a network allegedly involving Venezuelan military officials, and dissident factions of Colombia's FARC. Activities include cocaine trafficking and money laundering through trade-based schemes, often utilizing duty-free zones on Margarita Island. Additionally, gold-for-arms deals have been reported, with Hezbollah and Iran exploiting Venezuela's illegal gold trade to circumvent international sanctions and finance their activities.
A key enabler of these operations has been the issuance of Venezuelan passports and identification documents. Between 2010 and 2019, more than 10,000 such documents were provided to individuals from Lebanon, Iran, and Syria, often through networks linked to the regime. Figures like former Vice President Tareck El Aissami, accused of Hezbollah connections, have been tied to this system, which provides cover for operatives using fake identities. Earlier intelligence from 2013 documented similar patterns dating back to 2008–2012.
The Nassereddine Network and Regime Ties
At the center of these activities is the Nassereddine family, a Lebanese-Venezuelan clan with deep connections. Ghazi Nassereddine, a former diplomat, and Abdallah Nassereddine, a businessman based on Margarita Island, have been accused of overseeing indoctrination, training, and smuggling operations. This network, which began under Chávez and grew under Maduro, has benefited from state protection, allowing Hezbollah to operate with relative impunity.
Strategic Implications and Proximity Concerns.
Margarita Island's location, approximately 1,200 miles from Florida, has amplified U.S. concerns, with officials labeling Venezuela not merely as a failed state but as a "staging ground" for Iranian and Hezbollah activities in the Americas. This positioning is seen as enabling potential threats through forward operations, including the use of duty-free zones and state-backed infrastructure.}}
=====Colombia=====
=====Colombia=====
*[[Houthis]]
*[[Houthis]]
*[[Project Cassandra]]
*[[Project Cassandra]]
*[[Amia bombing]]
*[[Bombing of Alas Chiricanas Flight 901]]
==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}