Islamic terror networks continue to pose the greatest security threat to Jewish communities in Latin America

People hold up photos of the victims of the AMIA Jewish Center bombing during a ceremony commemorating the 22nd anniversary of the 1994 attack in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 18, 2016. Photo: REUTERS/Enrique Marcarian

On August 16, the Argentine Federal Police thwarted an islamic terrorist plot reportedly linked to ISIS and the Taliban to kill Jews in Mendoza — the second such plot uncovered in Argentina this year.

Last November, Brazilian security services unharmed a similar attack on the country’s Jewish community, which was planned by Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Although these plots were exposed in time and mass murder was prevented, they unfortunately show that Jewish communities in Latin America are still being targeted by both Sunni and Shiite Islamic terrorist networks. Until recently, these networks seemed to be able to operate with impunity.

Last month, I was in Buenos Aires with representatives of Jewish organizations from around the world to honor the victims of the 1994 bombing that targeted the headquarters of the AMIA Jewish Community Center, founded in 1894. The attack, masterminded by Iran and its terrorist proxies, killed 85 people and injured more than 300, making it the deadliest anti-Semitic attack since the Holocaust, until it was tragically overtaken by October 7.

The AMIA attack came two years after a similar attack in which a Hezbollah suicide bomber was driving a pickup truck at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 23 and wounding 242. I have friends who survived this horrific attack, and others who lost loved ones.

Argentina’s Jewish community, the largest in Latin America, has yet to see justice done against the perpetrators of these crimes.

The developments of the past week have provided a stark reminder that Islamist terrorist networks, whether backed by the Iranian regime or by other state and non-state actors, remain one of the greatest threats to the security of Latin American countries, and in particular to their Jewish communities.

The fact that Argentina’s Jewish population is being targeted with violence, despite the country’s physical, political and military distance from the Middle East, shows once again that Islamists target Jews regardless of where they are in the world and what is happening in the Middle East.

In July 1994, the same month as the AMIA attack, Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), made a historic comeback to Gaza after the Palestinian Authority (PA) was granted limited self-rule in Gaza and Jericho — a key step in the unfolding Oslo Accords.

Then, as now, it seems that the prospect of peace inspires the most vicious outbursts of terrorist violence against Jews, no matter who or where we are. After all, as Analysts have notedHamas reportedly planned and carried out the October 7 attacks in response to the success of the Abraham Accords and out of fear that Saudi Arabia would soon become a signatory and peace partner of Israel.

While the latest plot in Mendoza appears to have come from a terrorist cell espousing ISIS and Taliban rhetoric, the primary source of the threat against Latin American Jews remains the Islamic Republic of Iran and its terrorist ally Hezbollah.

Moreover, it appears that current threats stem from the activities of long-standing Hezbollah cells and networks, which have become increasingly developed and sophisticated.

For example, the Colombian police arrested Mahdy Akil Helbawi earlier this month, in cooperation with the FBI. Helbawi is also assigned by the U.S. Treasury Department as a contributor and financier to Hezbollah. Most notably, he is the son of Amer Akil Rada — a Hezbollah operative involved in both the AMIA and Israeli embassy bombings in Buenos Aires.

Decades after the AMIA atrocity, money continues to flow to Hezbollah from a range of operations in Colombia and Venezuela, including drug trafficking.

Hezbollah has a long relationship with South America drug cartelsbut they have also expanded to the use of cryptocurrency to more easily launder and transfer their money. This, in turn, has helped Hezbollah adapt and evolve the ways in which it targets Latin American Jewish communities.

For example in BrazilTwo Hezbollah operatives recruited from local diaspora communities in the Middle East were able to hire six Brazilian nationals to carry out attacks on Jewish targets in Brasilia. The plot was foiled by Brazilian authorities last November, but it showed that Hezbollah is able to rely on new methods and networks to terrorize both Jews and non-Jews.

Terrorism is not only a threat to Jews, but to democratic societies all over the world. Therefore, all world leaders who believe in peaceful coexistence must work together to eradicate extremism and combat terrorism.

These efforts should include taking stronger measures against countries that actively promote and support terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic Republic of Iran. They should also impose designations and sanctions on the entire network of individuals and entities that finance and facilitate terrorism.

At the AMIA 30th anniversary ceremony, Argentine President Javier Millei said, “Silence supports evil.” Our societies cannot afford another AMIA tragedy, nor another 9/11, nor another October 7, and that is why silence is not an option.

Marina Rosenberg is Senior Vice President for International Affairs at the Anti-Defamation League and a former ambassador and diplomat.