“Hondurasgate: Leaked recordings allege US-Israeli destabilisation plot in Latin America Submitted by Shraddha Joshi on Fri, 05/08/2026 - 12:56 Voice messages from former Honduran president say Israeli financial and diplomatic support helped secure presidential pardon from Trump A protester in Tegucigalpa holds a banner reading 'The pardon for Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH) does not erase the truth, does not erase the narco-state', 4 December 2025 (Orlando Sierra/AFP) Off A series of recordings leaked by investigative site Hondurasgate and Spanish news platform Canal Red have revealed US and Israeli initiatives aimed at advancing interests in Honduras and destabilising left-leaning governments in Latin America. The investigation , led by anonymous Honduran journalists, includes three instalments of 37 leaked WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram voice notes that Hondurasgate says were authenticated through forensic analysis. The recordings allege that Israeli interests were key in securing US President Donald Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez. They also reveal plans for disinformation campaigns targeting the governments of Mexico and Colombia. In December 2025, Trump pardoned Hernandez, who had previously been convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison by a US federal court on drug trafficking charges. Shortly afterwards, Trump endorsed then-presidential candidate Nasry Asfura , who was tied with centrist opponent Salvador Nasralla, and threatened to cut aid to the country if Asfura lost the election. The Hondurasgate investigation, which includes voice messages from Asfura following private meetings at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, reveals plans to establish a new US military base in Honduras, expand private “economic development” zones and encourage investment from American artificial intelligence companies. According to Hondurasgate and Canal Red, Asfura’s election was meant to function as a transitional step ahead of an alleged US and Israeli-backed plan for Hernandez to assume power in the next presidential elections. Trump-backed candidate of Palestinian origin wins Honduras presidential election Read More » In a 20 January voice note, Hernandez said that “the prime minister of Israel is going to support us”. He added that “they [Israelis] had everything to do with my departure and negotiation”, referring to Trump’s pardon. In a 14 March voice message, Hernandez credited the money for his pardon to “a group of rabbis and from people who supported Israel”. The investigation also includes messages from Hernandez to the president of the National Congress of Honduras, Tomas Zambrano, where the former instructed Zambrano to undermine Asfura’s power with Israeli support. “I sent you the people of Israel, they sent you money. I’m the one doing the lobbying,” the former president said. The investigation also included conversations between Hernandez and Asfura about establishing a “digital journalism unit” funded by the Honduran government and the US-backed Argentinian president, Javier Milei, with the goal of launching media attacks against the Colombian and Mexican governments. The right-wing Milei has advanced Israel-Argentina relations with US support, furthering economic cooperation and announcing plans to relocate the Argentinian embassy to Jerusalem. In September 2025, the US government announced its intention to revoke Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he joined a pro- Palestine demonstration in New York City and urged US soldiers “not to point their guns at people” and “disobey the orders of Trump”. Latin America News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
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