Buenos Aires Herald 
Chief of Staff Guillermo Francos said on Tuesday that measures have been taken to protect Argentine diplomatic personnel in Lebanon after receiving information from Israel alerting them to possible attacks from Iran.
“We have taken steps to protect Argentines and diplomats in Lebanon after receiving information from Israel that Iran was planning a very important attack against friends of Israel,” Francos said in an interview with the LN+ television station. “The [security] decision was made because we could be one of the possible targets of the attack.”
The full extent of the security measures was not made public. The Foreign Ministry has advised Argentines already in Lebanon to “stay alert” to the situation and recommended citizens who might be planning to go either postpone or avoid traveling. A spokesperson for the ministry told the Herald that the embassy has not been evacuated but did not elaborate on any specific steps.
“We have spoken to all our embassies in the region to analyze and decide the best options in case there is a military escalation,” they said.
Minister Francos explained that the warning is connected to the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war. The most recent incident was the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31, for which the Islamic group has blamed Israel.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, when Hamas-led Palestinian fighters killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and seized more than 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli military campaign that followed has left Gaza in ruins and killed more than 36,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
President Javier Milei has been vocally supportive of Israel since the October attack. During his February visit to the country, he said he would move Argentina’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and has supported what he called Israel’s “right to legitimate defense.” In July, the government placed Hamas on its list of terrorist organizations.
Francos stated that Argentina’s position has been to “defend Israel in the face of the terrorist attacks it has suffered,” adding that that stance has led Israel to share information regarding possible Iranian attacks given that it considers the country to be an “ally.” The minister also pointed to past terrorist attacks in Argentina as a reason for why these reports cannot be disregarded, and said that intelligence services will remain alert.
The most deadly attack in Argentine history took place on July 18, 1994, when the AMIA Jewish community center was destroyed by a bomb, killing 85 people and injuring hundreds. Two years earlier, the Israel Embassy in Buenos Aires also suffered a bombing attack that killed 22 people.
