Rubio vows to eliminate Hezbollah, Iran operations from Venezuela after Maduro capture

The time after elite U.S. forces captured wanted narco-terrorist and erstwhile Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro successful Caracas, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that nan Iran-backed Lebanese violent activity Hezbollah will nary longer person operations successful nan South American state.

The Iranian regime-backed Hezbollah violent organization is responsible for some the bombing of nan U.S. embassy, which killed 63 people, and nan Marine barracks bombing successful Beirut successful 1983, erstwhile 241 U.S. subject unit were killed.

Speaking connected CBS' Face nan Nation, Rubio said, "It's very simple, okay? In nan 21st century, nether nan Trump administration, we are not going to person a state for illustration Venezuela successful our ain hemisphere, successful nan sphere of power and nan crossroads for Hezbollah, for Iran and for each different malign power successful nan world. That's conscionable not gonna exist." He besides told NBC's Meet nan Press that, successful respect to Venezuela, that meant, "No much Iran/Hezbollah beingness there."

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Hezbollah members salute and raise nan group's yellowish flags during nan ceremonial of their fallen comrades Ismail Baz and Mohamad Hussein Shohury, who were killed successful an Israeli onslaught connected their vehicles, successful Shehabiya successful southbound Lebanon connected April 17, 2024.  (AFP via Getty Images)

Walid Phares, who has advised U.S. statesmanlike candidates and is simply a starring master connected Hezbollah, told Fox News Digital that "Hezbollah has a long history successful Venezuela and has emerged arsenic a important information interest successful Latin America, peculiarly aft nan September 11, 2001 attacks. The origins of Hezbollah’s beingness successful Venezuela day backmost to nan mid-1980s, erstwhile nan statement began recruiting members from segments of nan section Lebanese diaspora."

He noted that Hezbollah gained greater traction pursuing nan precocious Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’s consolidation of powerfulness successful 2002. "During this period, Hezbollah’s beingness became much visible, pinch reports indicating that immoderate of its members gained entree to Venezuelan authorities institutions, including information agencies, often done nan acquisition of Venezuelan passports and ineligible documentation. These developments facilitated nan description of Hezbollah-linked networks passim Latin America, extending into Brazil, Argentina and Chile, and reportedly reaching arsenic acold arsenic nan U.S.–Mexico border."

Phares said, "Hezbollah is believed to support a important beingness crossed Venezuela, including command-and-control elements successful Caracas. Margarita Island has been often cited successful open-source reporting arsenic a logistical hub utilized for activities ranging from financial operations to intelligence gathering and alleged narcotics trafficking. Additional nationalist reporting has suggested Venezuelan practice pinch Iranian and Hezbollah-linked operations targeting Iranian dissidents abroad, including attempted kidnappings and intimidation campaigns successful nan Western Hemisphere."

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The U.S.-designated violent statement Hezbollah lashed retired astatine nan U.S. aft it captured Maduro. Hezbollah said it "condemns nan violent aggression and American thuggery against nan Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela" and "further affirms its afloat solidarity pinch Venezuela — its people, presidency and authorities — successful confronting this American aggression and arrogance."

The thorny situation of really to purge nan Venezuelan authorities and society of embedded Hezbollah operatives was addressed by Phares. He said, "One action would beryllium to trust connected a post-Maduro transitional authority that has pledged to dismantle violent networks. In practice, however, it is apt that U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism agencies would play a starring domiciled successful identifying and disrupting pro-Iranian networks operating wrong Venezuelan territory."

Matthew Levitt, a clever clever connected Hezbollah from nan Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital that "It will each travel down to what benignant of authorities comes next. Trump’s statements time off that wide open. There is, however, an opportunity to reside nan longstanding Hezbollah beingness successful Venezuela, and nan strategical narration betwixt Venezuela and Iran much broadly."

Carrie Filipetti, executive head of nan Vandenberg Coalition, and a erstwhile lawman adjunct Secretary of State during Trump’s first administration, told Fox News Digital, "Among nan galore ways successful which nan Iranian authorities and Maduro authorities coordinated until Maduro's apprehension was providing a safe haven for Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah took advantage of nan deficiency of norm of rule successful Venezuela and parts of Latin America much mostly to prosecute successful money laundering connected to nan supplier trade. They are besides believed to person utilized connections wrong nan Maduro authorities to unafraid Venezuelan passports for members of Hezbollah."

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She noted that "It isn't a astonishment that nan crippled to kidnap Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad progressive taking her by speedboat to Caracas. Hezbollah and Iran knew nether Maduro, they could run pinch impunity there, dispersed anti-American propaganda, and scheme anti-American attacks. Whether location are immoderate implications for nan Maduro- Hezbollah narration now that Maduro is gone will dangle connected whether authorities insiders are allowed to stay successful powerfulness aliases not."