GOP senator predicts Trump’s next move in Venezuela amid Hezbollah’s influence: ‘Long past due’
In recent discussions among U.S. lawmakers, a troubling narrative has emerged regarding Hezbollah’s expanding influence in Latin America, particularly in Venezuela. During a Senate Caucus on International Counternarcotics Control hearing, bipartisan concerns were voiced about the Maduro regime’s transformation of Venezuela into a sanctuary for Hezbollah, one of the world’s most notorious terrorist organizations. Lawmakers, including Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and John Cornyn, highlighted the alarming integration of Hezbollah into Latin America’s criminal underbelly, a shift that has seen the group move from its previous strongholds in Colombia and the tri-border area into the protective arms of Venezuela. This development raises significant concerns about regional security, as Hezbollah gains access to drug trafficking routes, forged documents, and a broader foothold in the Western Hemisphere.
Testimonies from experts underscored the complexities of this situation, revealing a sophisticated network of narcotics, money laundering, and even schemes to provide passports to Hezbollah operatives, allegedly facilitated by Venezuelan officials. Former Treasury official Marshall Billingslea emphasized that Venezuela has become a crucial enabler of Hezbollah’s operations, with reports indicating that over 10,000 passports were issued to individuals with ties to the group. This illicit infrastructure not only allows Hezbollah to disguise its operatives but also provides essential financial resources through drug profits, particularly as sanctions on Iran and Hezbollah tighten their financial channels in the Middle East. The implications of these developments are far-reaching, with calls for more Latin American nations to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization to combat this growing threat effectively.
As tensions escalate, some lawmakers, such as Senator Bernie Moreno, have expressed optimism about potential regime change in Venezuela, suggesting that the U.S. might take decisive action to oust Maduro. The conversation surrounding Hezbollah’s activities in Latin America is not merely a regional issue but a matter of national security for the U.S., as the group continues to embed itself within the Western Hemisphere’s criminal activities under the protection of a hostile regime. The situation calls for a coordinated response from the U.S. and its allies to address the multifaceted threats posed by Hezbollah’s growing presence in Venezuela and beyond, highlighting the urgent need for international collaboration to combat terrorism and organized crime.
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Hezbollah’s growing foothold in
Latin America
has found its epicenter in Venezuela, where U.S. lawmakers and former counterterror officials say the Maduro regime has turned the country into a safe haven for one of the world’s most dangerous terrorist groups, giving it access to drug trafficking routes, forged documents and a gateway to the Western Hemisphere.
At a Senate Caucus on International Counternarcotics Control hearing this week, both Republican and Democratic senators warned that Hezbollah’s integration into Latin America’s criminal underworld — once concentrated in Colombia and the tri-border region — has now taken root under Venezuela’s protection.
Witnesses described an illicit web of narcotics, money laundering and passport-for-terrorist schemes that have flourished with state sponsorship, turning Venezuela into what one expert called the “most important facilitator for Hezbollah in Latin America.”
“Venezuela is a willing safe haven for what remains the most lethal, dangerous foreign terrorist organization to the United States,” said Marshall Billingslea, a former senior Treasury official.
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Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, both warned that Hezbollah’s 50-year presence in Latin America now poses a hemispheric threat requiring coordinated U.S. action.
Ambassador Nathan Sales, the former counterterrorism coordinator at the State Department, urged more Latin American nations — especially Brazil and Mexico — to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
The bipartisan tone, rare in today’s Congress, underscored what lawmakers called a clear and present danger — a sanctioned regime in America’s backyard providing cover to a global terror group.
”
Venezuela has become
a key enabler of Hezbollah’s malign activity in our region,” Sales testified.
“This is not just about the Middle East anymore,” Cornyn added. “It’s about a terrorist organization embedding itself in the Western Hemisphere under the protection of a hostile regime.”
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, went a step further, predicting that the United States will move to end Nicolás Maduro’s rule altogether.
“I think we’re going to free Venezuela,” Moreno said. “That will be one of President Trump’s many, many legacies. It’s long past due, and I think his days are numbered.” Moreno added that he “would be surprised if [Maduro is] still in Venezuela by the end of this year,” signaling growing confidence that Washington could soon pursue regime change in Caracas after seven strikes on alleged narco-traffickers on the seas.
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Billingslea and Cornyn pointed to evidence that Venezuelan officials issued passports to Hezbollah operatives, including accusations that former Vice President Tareck El Aissami helped militants travel freely across the region.
According to Billingslea, more than 10,000 passports were issued to individuals from Syria, Lebanon and Iran under the former Venezuelan vice president, some with known Hezbollah or Hamas ties.
The system, witnesses said, allowed operatives to disguise identities, launder funds and even move into the U.S. with false papers.
Sales detailed how Hezbollah’s operations have become embedded in the
regional drug trade,
including the trafficking of so-called “black cocaine” compressed into charcoal-like briquettes to avoid detection.
“Hezbollah traffics narcotics through criminal networks active in the tri-border area. … It’s particularly involved in the sale of black cocaine,” Sales said.
He and others warned that as sanctions squeeze Iran and Hezbollah’s financial channels in the Middle East, the group is relying more heavily on Latin American
drug profits
to sustain itself.
Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute said Venezuela has effectively joined what he called the “axis of evasion,” a global sanctions-defying network linking Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.
“Venezuela plays an important part in this illicit network as it reaches the Western Hemisphere,” Levitt said, describing its role in gold smuggling, oil-for-cash deals and financial cover for Iran and Hezbollah.
Eric
Eric is a seasoned journalist covering US Politics news.
