• News & Analysis
    • All News & Analysis
    • American Values & Politics
    • Sharia Governance & Values
    • US Hate Groups & Crimes
    • Overseas Extremism
    • US Islamist Activity
    • Fact Sheets & Special Reports
    • Subscribe
  • Intelligence Network
  • Films
  • Activism
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • News & Analysis
    • All News & Analysis
    • American Values & Politics
    • Sharia Governance & Values
    • US Hate Groups & Crimes
    • Overseas Extremism
    • US Islamist Activity
    • Fact Sheets & Special Reports
    • Subscribe
  • Intelligence Network
  • Films
  • Activism
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Contact Us
Search
Close
Donate
Menu
Home Overseas Extremism

Venezuela’s Maduro Entrenches With Hezbollah

by Ran Meir
February 4, 2019
Reading Time: 3min read
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a gathering with supporters to mark the 20th anniversary of the rise of power of the late Hugo Chavez, the leftist firebrand who installed a socialist government, in Caracas on February 2, 2019. (Photo: YURI CORTEZ / AFP / Getty Images)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a gathering with supporters in Caracas on February 2, 2019 to mark the 20th anniversary of the rise of power of the late Hugo Chavez, the leftist firebrand who installed a socialist government in the country. (Photo: YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

The Venezuelan regime under controversial President Nicolas Maduro is rather cozy with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization, as Clarion’s Shillman Fellow Ran Meir explains…

Amid the ongoing crisis between the U.S. and Venezuela, we’ve learned more of the strong ties between Caracas and the Lebanese-based Hezbollah. The more we dig, the more gold we find – in this case, quite literally.

As soon as President Donald Trump announced his support for opposition leader Juan Guaido, Hezbollah upped its rhetoric in favor of Maduro and condemned what it saw as an attempted coup planned by Washington. America wants to destabilize Venezuela and control its mines, Hezbollah contended, adding that D.C. is intent on punishing any nation that does not agree to U.S. hegemony. A delegation of senior Hezbollah officials just visited the Venezuela embassy in Beirut in a show of solidarity.

Hezbollah’s unwavering support is one thing, but what is arguably more concerning is Maduro’s backing of the Iranian-funded and trained Hezbollah, internationally recognized as a terror group. Maduro reportedly sent a letter to the terror organization expressing his thanks for Hezbollah’s unconditional support.

He sent the note after receiving an offer of any help needed from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah. To this end, Hezbollah volunteered military know-how, explosives experts, snipers and soldiers trained in defending strategic locations, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Seyassah reported. Nasrallah further promised he could raise support for Maduro among Shiites living in South America.

This, said Nasrallah, is the least Hezbollah could do, given all that Maduro and former president Hugo Chavez did for Hezbollah and Iran.

It is important to understand that Maduro’s regime grants Hezbollah freedom of movement and allows it to strengthen its interests in the country and use Venezuela as a foothold to spread its ideology and activities across the continent.

Hezbollah operates two gold mines in Venezuela to fund its terror activities, according to opposition parliamentarian Americo De Grazia. As a result, key natural resources are taken being from the people and exported, he added.

The ties between Hezbollah and Venezuela have  grown ever tighter since 2006 when Tareck El Aissami became an MP, eventually rising to serve as vice president. Sanctioned by the U.S., El Aissami is accused of money laundering, global drug trafficking and more, as well as having very close links to Hezbollah. It’s also alleged he enabled fraudulent Venezuelan passports to end up in the hands of Hezbollah operatives.

All this appears to be just part of the you-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours relationship between Maduro’s Venezuela and Hezbollah and indeed allows the terror organization deeper penetration into South and Central America.

Moreover, the unstable nature of several Latin American states means they are rich pickings for the terror organization and its Iranian paymasters.

 

RELATED STORIES

Iran Fans Out 40,000 Agents in South America

Islamist Hezbollah Is ‘Second-Strongest Army’ in Middle East

Why Hezbollah Is in Argentina

 

Tags: AnalysisIranLebanonNews AnalysisOpinionVenezuela
Share1167TweetSendSend

Related Posts

Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif (Photo: ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
Overseas Terrorism

Iran Establishing New Facts on the Ground to Leverage Biden Administration

January 6, 2021
Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Emna Mizouni)
Islamist Regimes

Saudi Arabia Sentences Women’s Rights Activist – Why Now?

December 29, 2020
Maulana Muhammad Khan Sherani, head of the Council of Islamic Ideology, was also in the spotlight in 2016 when a religious body ruled that men should be allowed to 'lightly beat' their wives in the context of a draft of a women's protection bill. (Photo: FAROOQ NAEEM/AFP via Getty Images)
Islamist Regimes

Pakistan: Top Cleric Says Israel Belongs to Jews

December 29, 2020
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, slain head of Iran's covert nuclear weapons program, seen on a memorial billboard (Photo: ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)
Islamist Regimes

Days After Fakhrizadeh Assassination, Biden Reiterates Goal to Reenter Iran Deal

December 3, 2020
Students and relatives leave a graduation ceremony at Rutger's University. Did they learn anything about the China threat? (Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
Human Rights Activists

State Department: American Kids Need to be Educated on China Threat

December 1, 2020
(Photo: Needpix.com)
Overseas Terrorism

Foreign Funding in Universities: Undermining Democracy & Spreading Antisemitism

November 24, 2020

Most Read

Dark Days for America? Big Tech Wields Cudgel on Conservative Voices

7 days ago

From Street Thugs to the High-Brow Salon Circles, the Right to Free Speech Is Increasingly Under Attack

3 months ago

Should Extremist Content Be Taken Down or Should We Talk About It?

4 weeks ago

Pakistan: Top Cleric Says Israel Belongs to Jews

3 weeks ago

A Look at What’s Ahead for 2021

2 weeks ago

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

By entering your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

contact us

[email protected]
1-888-610-2221

locate us

2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Suite 395, Washington, DC 20006

follow us

Youtube
Facebook-f
Twitter

News & Analysis

  • American Values & Politics
  • Sharia Governance & Values
  • US Hate Groups & Crimes
  • US Islamist Activity
  • Overseas Extremism
  • Fact Sheets & Special Reports
  • Subscribe

Intelligence Network

  • About Clarion Intel Network
  • Fuqra Files
  • US Extremists Map

Films

  • Iranium
  • Honor Diaries
  • Faithkeepers
  • Kids
  • Short Films

Activism

  • Preventing Violent Extremism
  • Exposing Foreign Funding
  • Our Speakers

about us

  • Who We Are
  • What We Do
  • Advisory Board
  • Partnerships
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
  • Donor Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
© Clarion Project Inc. 2020 — All Rights Reserved
501(c)(3) EIN #20-5845679
Menu
  • News & Analysis
    • All News & Analysis
    • American Values & Politics
    • Sharia Governance & Values
    • US Hate Groups & Crimes
    • Overseas Extremism
    • US Islamist Activity
    • Fact Sheets & Special Reports
    • Subscribe
  • Intelligence Network
  • Films
  • Activism
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • What We Do
    • Contact Us
Search
Donate