Israel-Hamas war: Mossad statement on Hezbollah angers Brazil
A statement by Mossad, Israel's spy agency, has angered Brazil. While thanking Brazil police for the arrest of people connected with Hezbollah, Mossad said it helped Brazilian authorities foil an attack in Brazil. The unusual public statement has put a strain on Israel-Brazil ties.
Two people were arrested in Brazil on Wednesday (November 8) and slapped with terrorism charges. Later in the day, Mossad chose to make a public statement and said "given the backdrop of the war in Gaza," Hezbollah was planning attacks on targets across the world.
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Though the Brazilian operation was indeed against a suspected Hezbollah cell, Mossad's public comments have angered Brazil.
Brazil's Justice Minister Flavio Dino on Thursday strongly rebuked Mossad. He said on social media that "Brazil is a sovereign country," and "no foreign force orders around the Brazilian Federal Police."
Although Dino did not appear to explicitly deny Israeli involvement, if there was any, he appeared angered due to the timing of Mossad's public statement and parallels drawn to the Israel-Hamas war.
"We appreciate appropriate international cooperation, but we reject any foreign authority that deems to direct Brazilian police bodies or use our investigations for the use of propaganda or its political interests," said Dino.
He added that Brazil's probe had "nothing to do with international conflicts".
Reuters cited a source to say that Dino was angry as a statement from Mossad made it look like Brazilian authorities were being ordered by Israel and that it may suggest that Brazil was taking sides in the ongoing conflict.
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There are about 30 Brazilians who are stuck in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict. There is an unease in the Brazilian camp over the slow pace of their release. Brazilian foreign ministry has reportedly even told Israel this week that diplomatic ties would become unsustainable if any harm was to come to the Brazilians.
(With inputs from agencies)