Hezbollah presence in Venezuela feared

Western anti-terrorism officials are increasingly concerned that Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim militia that Washington has labeled a terrorist group, is using Venezuela as a base for operations, report Chris Kraul and Sebastian Rotella.

Linked to deadly attacks on Jewish targets in Argentina in the early 1990s, Hezbollah may be taking advantage of Venezuela's ties with Iran, the militia's longtime sponsor, to move "people and things" into the Americas, as one Western government terrorism expert put it.

As part of his anti-American foreign policy, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has established warm diplomatic relations with Iran and has traveled there several times. The Bush administration, Israel and other governments worry that Venezuela is emerging as a base for anti-U.S. militant groups and spy services, including Hezbollah and its Iranian allies.

Read the full report on Venezuela and Hezbollah here.

For more on Venezuela, click here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Image: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, left, greets his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, last year. Marcelo Garcia / AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[GWEH]

The article is spot on. Prior to Chavez, Venezuelan counterintelligence kept tabs on the activities of these various groups in Venezuela with assistance from the CIA and Mossad. That was then and this is now.

[Jack Rasmijn]

If this article is right, the small islands/states/countries in the Caribean will all be in great danger, they do not have the recources, finance, capability and trained personal to combat these militants. So, US, it is time to act, before it is to late.

[Calvin]

"If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate"

It's a shame that the LA Times does not extend this rule to its own op/ed peices. This ridiculous propaganda against the elected government of Hugo Chavez is so breathtakingly crude it might as well have been written by a 12 year old.

The "evidence" against Venezuela appears to be that Hugo Chavez has travelled to fellow OPEC member Iran. Naughty Hugo! Bad boy Hugo! Everyone knows that presidents of sovereign states have no right to talk to each other, without having first asked permission from George Bush.

Anyway, naughty Hugo set up a cement factory together with Iran. Is it really a cement factory... or is it in fact a secret WMD factory where evil terrorists plot the destruction of our way of life? These Lationo-Islamo-terrorists are very jealous of our freedoms, you know.

Just to be on the safe side, I suppose we ought to bomb Caracas before that Muslim black-power guy, Osama whatshisname, seizes the White House.

[Dartagnon0916]

L.A. Times editorial on challenges
"Hezbollah presence in Venezuela feared"
1. -This is a serious situation that can cause undue stress to all the FREE citizens in this Region including the United States and its allies in the Region.
2. Two (2) Crazies; President Hugo Chavez-who has gone Bunko in its head, by offering Iranian Nut Terrorist President a base of operations to stage terrorist attacks to the Unined States and it's Allies in the Caribbean and North & South American cities, which they (Iranian Nut President) will happily accept.
3. This should be viewed as an Act of Aggression by the United States, from Hugo Chavez, and measures taken to protect our region from these So(&^%$# in our Regions; South America and the Caribbean as a Threat to everyone's National Security.

4. As a Venezuelan Citizen, A Caribbean Island Citizen, South American Citizen, and an United States Citizen, we should all notify the international authorities to impose sanctions on Hugo Chavez, for this reckless attitude by bringing to our hemisphere these Sons Of ^%$** to our region, before we block his irresponsible government attitude. Enough, is Enough.

5. We are hard working citizens to raise our families, in a good moral and decent surroundings so that our children and their children can aspire to the benefits that we were not able to receive from our parents in those countries.

[Victor]

This is worst trash of an articles I read in a while. Why don't you write about terrorists from outer space instead. Or get a real job instead of antagonizing.

[Steve Truth]

WOW! The writer sounds like a paid agent herself. Terrorist is in the eye of the beholder. hey there!

[Eva Maldonado]

I was born in 1953, so I am long way old enough to write you the comment I just wrote.
Best Regards.

[Eva]

What took you so long? We, the Venezuelan people has been trying to tell you that but you guys didn´t care. Mr. Bush was too bussy with his Irak´s war.
I hope it´s not too late to do something about this. In Venezuela we are desperate. There are no Human Rights here. Mr. Chavez has been in the government for ten years now, and there are more than one hundred thousand people killed. This is much more than the Iraki war.
You must have heard about FARC, well, send somebody to Colombia and get some information, you´ll be surprised.
Could you listen to us for once?
Best Regards

[CARLOS]

HELLO I THINK THIS IS STUPID ARTICLE, LOOK LIKE INDIANA JONES HISTORY.