AMIA
On July 18th, 1994, the Lebanese terrorist group, Hezbollah, carried out an attack at the site of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Within hours, Israel sent a rescue team to assist in the search for survivors. This is one of the many attacks committed by Hezbollah abroad and is indicative of its presence and activity in Latin America.
18.07.21
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27 years ago, Hezbollah attacked the AMIA building in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The attack was carried out by means of a vehicle armed with explosives that, after detonating, demolished the 6-story building. This terror attack took the life of 85 and left injured more than 300, most of them members of the Jewish community of Buenos Aires.
Ruins after the bombing attack
Hours after the terror attack, the IDF sent an Israeli Air Force aircraft to Argentina, along with a humanitarian aid delegation made up of officers and soldiers from the Search and Rescue Brigade.
Master Sgt. (Res.) Nissim Nassi, a rescue engineer in the IDF Search and Rescue Brigade, shared with us, “We received the call... and immediately packed our bags and left. We quickly understood that the attack was carried out with a ‘car bomb’ that was found under the building."
Master Sgt. (Res.) Nissim Nassi
The members of the IDF delegation worked together with Argentinian firefighters and volunteers in order to find and rescue as many of the victims as possible. “What struck us was the number of people who wanted to help. We started with the challenging task of evacuating people and trying to find survivors," Master Sgt. (Res.) Nissim Nassi remarks.
According to the Argentinian official investigations, the attack on the AMIA building was carried out by Hezbollah, an internationally recognized terror organization. Hezbollah is based in southern Lebanon and is financed by the Iranian regime. The organization’s primary objectives are to destroy the State of Israel and establish an Islamic republic in the region.
Although most of Hezbollah's activities take place in the Middle East, they maintain a strong presence in Latin America. The terror organization was able to carry out the attack on the AMIA due to its network of operatives abroad. Today, Hezbollah continues to promote illegal activities all over the globe.
Hezbollah’s acts of terror have no borders. Just as they attack Israeli civilians, they pose a constant threat to communities around the world—the terrorist attack on AMIA in 1994 is a prime example.
The IDF remembers the victims of the AMIA terrorist attack and condemns the activities of the terrorist organization, Hezbollah. We stand ready to deter future Hezbollah attacks and to protect Jews all around the world as well as all other citizens.
