The office of the Minister of Security of Argentina, Patricia Bullrich, released this Wednesday (17) a note stating that she apologized to the Chilean government for having said that there were cells of the terrorist group Hezbollah in the neighboring country.
In statements to the Argentine press, the minister had expressed concern on Monday (15) about Bolivia's relations with Iran, a supporter of Hezbollah, and said that there are fighters from the Lebanese terrorist group in Brazil and Chile.
“Hezbollah has cells that were discovered last year, but two [membros] fled in São Paulo. They are Iranian satellites. In Argentina, they acted under orders from Iran,” said Bullrich, referring to two attacks in the 1990s that killed 114 people.
The statements generated outrage in the Chilean government, which summoned the Argentine ambassador in Santiago, Jorge Faurie, to protest.
In the note, Bullrich's team said she spoke by phone with Chile's Minister of the Interior and Public Security, Carolina Tohá, “with the aim of apologizing for her recent statements regarding Hezbollah's presence in Iquique, Chile.”
“Minister Bullrich clarified that these observations were made in the context of an analysis of the regional situation, within the scope of the responsibilities inherent to her position, and not with the intention of generating fear or alarm in Chile”, he explained.
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