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.
