RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 9 (Reuters) – An unusual statement by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad that it helped thwart a Hezbollah attack in Brazil is the latest to strain relations between Israel and Latin America’s largest nation in the wake of the Gaza war. An incident occurred. .
Brazil on Wednesday arrested two people on terrorism charges as part of an operation to destroy suspected Hezbollah cells planning attacks on Brazilian territory. Later that day, Mossad publicly thanked Brazilian police and said Hezbollah continued to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets “given the backdrop of the war in Gaza.”
Mossad’s comments infuriated Brazil’s Justice Minister Flavio Dino, who harshly reprimanded Israel on social media on Thursday, saying, “Brazil is a sovereign nation,” and “we will not issue orders from foreign forces around the Brazilian Federal Police.”
Although Dino did not explicitly deny the details of the Israeli statement, he seemed further angered by its timing, tone, and connection to the current war in Gaza.
“While we appreciate appropriate international cooperation, we reject foreign authorities who direct Brazil’s police agencies or use our investigations for propaganda or political gain,” he wrote, adding that Brazil’s investigation “It has nothing to do with anything international,” he added. collide. ”
Brazilian Federal Police officials said Mr. Dino was angry because the Mossad statement made it appear as if Brazil was taking orders from Israel and could be interpreted as taking sides in the war. He said there was.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, which oversees Mossad, had no immediate comment.
Dino’s comments reflect growing anxiety among Brazilian officials about Israel’s actions in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and subsequent bombing of Gaza.
About 30 Brazilians remain stranded in the Gaza Strip weeks after the conflict began, two sources said, with Brazil increasingly angry with Israel over the slow pace of their release. It is said that there is. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry reportedly told Israel this week that diplomatic relations would become unsustainable if any harm befalls the trapped Brazilians.
Brazilian diplomats told Reuters they understand why Israel is delaying the release even as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva balances criticism of Hamas attacks with calls for a ceasefire. He said he couldn’t do it.
Later on Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira that Brazilian nationals were unable to leave Gaza due to the “unexpected closure” of the border, according to Brazil’s Foreign Ministry.
“The president assured Mr. Vieira that Brazilians and their families will be included in the list of foreigners who will be allowed to cross the border tomorrow,” the ministry said in a social media post.
Latin American countries such as Bolivia, Colombia and Chile have taken tougher stances against Israel, including cutting ties and recalling their ambassadors.
Lula’s team also reported that Israel’s ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Zonschein, was visiting Brazil’s Congress on Wednesday and was photographed sitting alongside former President Jair Bolsonaro and other far-right politicians ahead of a private meeting. I was also angry that I had taken the picture.
Bolsonaro, Lula’s opponent and ardent supporter of Israel, has not held any public office and has been ruled ineligible for political office until 2030, and may have tried to stage a coup after losing last year’s election. He is the subject of multiple criminal investigations, including a criminal investigation.
“If[Hezbollah]chose Brazil, it’s because there are people who can help them,” Zonshine said in an interview with O Globo newspaper after the federal police investigation on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Federal Police Chief Andrei Rodriguez told local media that Zonschein’s comments were “disrespectful.”
“It was a bad surprise,” Rodriguez said. “I completely reject that.”
There was no immediate comment from the Iranian government or Lebanon’s Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.
Reporting by Gabriel Stargalter. Additional reporting by Maytaal Angel and Jonathan Saul.Editing: Andrew Heavens, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio, Leslie Adler
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