Hezbollah in Venezuela?

I've written about Hezbollah's presence in South America before--specifically in the lawless "tri-border" region where Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay meet. The group is now apparently moving on to the friendly confines of Venezuela, courtesy of President Hugo Chavez, a staunch ally of Hezbollah's "parent company," Iran. This obviously gives Hezbollah an even stronger base from which to launch attacks against American and Jewish interests throughout the Western Hemisphere. Doez Chavez even realize that in the Iranian mullahs' eyes,  he's little more than a useful idiot? Ahmadenijad may smile and embrace him, but at the end of the day, he still sees Chavez as a non-Muslim, godless, infidel. If the Iranian regime had its way, Chavez and the Venezuelans would be living under a harsh version of Islamic law, and minarets would dot the Caracas landscape. For Chavez--a Marxist wiho's shown little fondness for any kind of religion, let alone Islam--a cozy relationship with Tehran is a truly shortsighted move. Here's more, from the LA Times:

Western anti-terrorism officials are increasingly concerned that Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim militia that Washington has labeled a terrorist group, is using Venezuela as a base for operations.

Linked to deadly attacks on Jewish targets in Argentina in the early 1990s, Hezbollah may be taking advantage of Venezuela's ties with Iran, the militia's longtime sponsor, to move "people and things" into the Americas, as one Western government terrorism expert put it.

As part of his anti-American foreign policy, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has established warm diplomatic relations with Iran and has traveled there several times. The Bush administration, Israel and other governments worry that Venezuela is emerging as a base for anti-U.S. militant groups and spy services, including Hezbollah and its Iranian allies.

"It's becoming a strategic partnership between Iran and Venezuela," said a Western anti-terrorism official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the issue's sensitivity.

Several joint Venezuelan-Iranian business operations have been set up in Venezuela, including tractor, cement and auto factories. In addition, the two countries have formed a $2-billion program to fund social projects in Venezuela and elsewhere in Latin America.

Those deepening ties worry U.S. officials because Iranian spies around the world have been known to work with Hezbollah operatives, sometimes using Iranian embassies as cover, Western intelligence experts say.

Read it all.