C/O Futures Terrorism Research Note Series
John P. Sullivan and Robert J. Bunker
22 November 2023
On 7-8 November 2023, two Brazilian nationals linked to Hezbollah were sequentially arrested in São Paulo over the course of two days in Operação Trapiche (Operation Wherehouse). The individuals were arrested pre-emptively during the planning stage prior to engaging in attacks against Jewish and Israeli governmental targets—such as synagogues and the Israeli Embassy— in Brazil. A third individual was later arrested as the operation expanded in scope. Precedent exists for Hezbollah-linked (and directed) attacks taking place in Brazil against Jewish and Israeli interests back in the early-to-mid 1990s. This new round of terrorism in Brazil was prompted by the 7 October 2023 HAMAS massacre and kidnapping of Israeli citizens launched from Gaza and the subsequent Israel Defense Forces (IDF) response. Hezbollah is in a close knit alliance with HAMAS with this incident extending the conflict into Latin America.
