Argentinian court rules Tehran behind two 1990 terror attacks on Israeli embassy and Jewish community center

An Argentinian court ruled on Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the deadly terror attacks against the Israeli embassy and the Jewish community center building in Buenos Aires in the early 1990s. The Argentinian court consequently branded the Iranian regime a “terrorist state.”

Twenty-nine civilians were killed and over 240 people injured when a terrorist committed a suicide attack outside the Israeli embassy in the Argentinian capital in 1992.

Two years later, 85 people were murdered and over 300 injured when Hezbollah-affiliated terrorists detonated a powerful bomb outside the local Jewish community center building in Buenos Aires. The Argentinian court called the attack on the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) building a “crime against humanity.” To date, it remains the most deadly terror attack on Argentinian and South American soil.

Argentinian judge, Carlos Mahiques, stressed that the terrorist organization Hezbollah attacked based on orders from its patron, the Islamic regime in Tehran.

“Hezbollah carried out an operation that responded to a political, ideological and revolutionary design under the mandate of a government, of a state,” Mahiques stated during an interview with local Radio Con Vos.

Despite the two terror attacks taking place three decades ago, the legal cases have never been solved and the Iranian regime has systematically denied any involvement. However, both Israel and Argentina have long concluded that the 1994 terror attack was ordered by Iran and carried out by its Lebanese proxy.

The Argentinian court specifically blamed former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and other senior Iranian and Hezbollah officials.

Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in South America, numbering around 200,000 people. The country is also home to numerous Christian and Muslim expat communities from Middle East nations, especially Lebanon and Syria. Hezbollah has reportedly built an extensive terror network in Argentina and other Latin American countries to expand Tehran’s global influence.

Jorge Knoblovits, the president of the Delegation of Israelite Associations of Argentina (DAIA), welcomed the Argentinian court ruling and its significance, "because it enables the victims to go to the International Criminal Court.”

Diplomatic relations between Argentina and Israel have seen their ups and downs over the years.

In the early 1960s, Israel's Mossad intelligence agency successfully located and captured Adolf Eichmann, a notorious German-Austrian Nazi war criminal who had been in hiding in Argentina. Eichmann was subsequently extradited and brought to trial in Israel, where he faced justice for his crimes during the Holocaust.

The new Argentinian President Javier Milei, who took office in December 2023, has emerged as a strong supporter of Israel and a great friend of the Jewish people.

In February, Milei chose Israel for his first international visit as Argentina's newly-elected president where he was warmly received by Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Moments after exiting the plane, Milei declared he would move his Argentina's embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“Your stalwart support for Israel in so many forms is deeply, deeply appreciated. Welcome to Jerusalem. Welcome, friend,” Netanyahu said.