Argentinian authorities ordered the freezing of Hezbollah assets in the country and effectively designated the Lebanese Islamist group, which it blames for two attacks on its soil, a terrorist organisation. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu later praised the move.
The announcement coincided with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires in which 85 people died. Argentina blames Iran and Hezbollah for the attack. Both deny any responsibility.
Argentina also blames Hezbollah for an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 that killed 29 people.
Netanyahu praised President Mauricio Macri for the designation.
“It is time the entire enlightened world understand the grave danger Iran and Hezbollah pose. It is time the entire world stand up against it,” Netanyahu said.
Argentina’s financial information unit ordered the freezing of assets of members of Hezbollah and the organization a day after the country created a new list for people and entities linked to terrorism.
“At present, Hezbollah continues to represent a current threat to security and the integrity of the economic and financial order of the Argentine Republic,” the unit said in a statement.
The freezing of assets automatically places Hezbollah on Argentina’s registry, designating it a terrorist organisation, a government source with direct knowledge of the action confirmed. The designation is the first by any country in Latin America.
Argentina’s investigation into the 1994 truck bomb attack on the AMIA centre, meanwhile, has made little progress. No one has been brought to trial in either that case or the Israeli embassy bombing.
