Skip to main content

Israel's Mossad helped Brazil foil Hezbollah attack, two arrested

The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Mossad played a part in foiling a terror attack in Brazil instigated by Hezbollah.

People attend a rally in support of the people of Israel in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 22, 2023. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants based in the Gaza Strip, entered southern Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in Gaza the following day. (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA / AFP) (Photo by NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images)
People attend a rally in support of the people of Israel in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 22, 2023. — NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s spy agency, Mossad, assisted Brazilian security forces and international law-enforcement bodies in thwarting a terror attack planned by Hezbollah operatives, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Wednesday.

"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," read the statement, adding that the operatives were part of "a wide network stretching into other countries as well."

The statement also noted that the Hezbollah cell arrested was planning an attack against Israeli and Jewish interests 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," read the statement. 

The rare Israeli statement acknowledging the involvement of the Mossad in a clandestine operation was published after reports in Brazil had exposed the plot. 

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE

Continue reading this exclusive analysis

Original reporting and analysis unavailable elsewhere. Subscribe to AL-MONITOR to read this story and access everything we publish