From inside South America’s Tri-border area, Iran-linked militia targets U.S.
By Pablo Gato and Robert Windrem, NBC News
CIUDAD DEL ESTE, Paraguay – The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia has taken root in South America, fostering a well-financed force of Islamist radicals boiling with hatred for the United States and ready to die to prove it, according to militia members, U.S. officials and police agencies across the continent.
From its Western base in a remote region divided by the borders of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina known as the Tri-border, or the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah has mined the frustrations of many Muslims among about 25,000 Arab residents whose families immigrated mainly from Lebanon in two waves, after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and after the 1985 Lebanese civil war.
An investigation by Telemundo and NBC News has uncovered details of an extensive smuggling network run by Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim group founded in Lebanon in 1982 that the United States has labeled an international terrorist organization. The operation funnels large sums of money to militia leaders in the Middle East and finances training camps, propaganda operations and bomb attacks in South America, according to U.S. and South American officials.
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U.S. officials fear that poorly patrolled borders and rampant corruption in the Tri-border region could make it easy for Hezbollah terrorists to infiltrate the southern U.S. border. From the largely lawless region, it is easy for potential terrorists, without detection, to book passage to the United States through Brazil and then Mexico simply by posing as tourists.
They are men like Mustafa Khalil Meri, a young Arab Muslim whom Telemundo interviewed in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay’s second-largest city and the center of the Tri-border region. There is nothing particularly distinctive about him, but beneath the everyday T-shirt he wears beats the heart of a devoted Hezbollah militiaman.
“If he attacks Iran, in two minutes Bush is dead,†Meri said. “We are Muslims. I am Hezbollah. We are Muslims, and we will defend our countries at any time they are attacked.â€
Bush is not going to attack Iran. The only way the US attacks Iran will be if Iran or its proxies, such as Hezbollah attack the US mainland or its interests outside of the Middle East. Analyists are constantly worried about the US attacking Iran. They need to be worried about Iran attacking the US. An attack by Iran or its terrorists proxies on the US is far more likely than an attack on Iran by the US.
To Mustafa Khalil Meri I would say, if you or your Iranian friends attack the US, you are dead. To the governments of Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina I would say the following: “we all know that you are police states. As such, it would have been impossible for Hezbollah to set up a base where it is without your knowledge and approval. We, your American neighbors to the north, view this base as an act of war. We expect you to do every thing in your power to dismantle this base. If you do not, the United States Air Force and the United States Military will come and remove it for you. We will use every thing in our power to remove this existential threat to our national security, even if this requires the use of nuclear war weapons. Also, as you know, we will be withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan very soon. As such, the forces will be available to take military action on this Hezbollah base. We expect you to take concrete action regarding the elimination of this Hezbollah base within 24 hours.”
From this report it appears that Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay have teamed up with Iran and Hezbollah against the US. This adds to the growing list of countries against the US. This list includes China and Russia who are the two most powerful countries on earth. Freedom loving nations should stand with Israel and the US.
From the Holy Scriputres, in both the old and new testaments, we know that Israel will never pass out of existence. Israel is guaranteed to have a bright long range future, however, the short term could be tough. For America, there are no such scriptural guarantees.
If the just interests of Israel and the US are allowed to be sacrificed to appease the Islamic extremists in Iran, Iraq, and elsewhere, free countries every where will be placed in grave danger. It is long past time for American leaders to stand more firmly along side Israel and it is long past time for the free world to stand more firmly beside America and Israel.