Tegucigalpa: Canal Red, a Latin American news outlet, has published its second report detailing alleged plans by the United States and Israel to reinstall former President Juan Orlando Hernandez as president of Honduras. Hernandez, a key figure in this controversy, was previously convicted on drug trafficking charges.
According to Anadolu Agency, the series of reports, referred to as Hondurasgate, outlines how the US and Israel aim to transform Honduras into a proxy state through corruption and repression carried out by the National Party of Honduras. The reports include audio recordings where high-level officials, particularly from the National Party, discuss plans to imprison or assassinate opposition politicians, allegedly with Israeli funding and US intelligence support.
Hernandez, who governed Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was extradited and imprisoned in the United States. However, he was pardoned and released by President Donald Trump during Honduras's presidential elections, which faced allegations of electoral fraud against the National Party's candidate, Nasry Asfura.
Canal Red's exclusive report claims Hernandez is being financed by Israel to return as president in 2030 with the intention of turning Honduras into a US military and technological outpost. Political scientist and Canal Red journalist Valeria Duarte explained how Israel is allegedly bribing Honduran officials to ensure Hernandez's return to power.
Marlon Ochoa, an Electoral Council representative from the leftist Libre Party, criticized the manipulation of elections to favor Asfura. The Hondurasgate reports include audio of Hernandez discussing removing Ochoa, a vocal opponent of Asfura and the National Party, at any cost.
On April 16, the Congress, led by Tom¡s Zambrano of the National Party, ruled to remove Ochoa from the Electoral Council, citing alleged failures during the 2025 elections. Ochoa claims he is a target of political persecution with plans for his imprisonment and death.
The investigation gains momentum as Cosette L³pez-Osorio, a councilwoman of the National Electoral Council, is heard discussing Ochoa's potential assassination. Another recording captures Hernandez speaking with Zambrano about using US intelligence contacts to locate and capture Ochoa.
Canal Red's previous reports highlighted the US and Israeli backing for Hernandez's return to the presidency, aimed at securing American military bases in Honduras and transferring key industries to foreign investors, including General Electric. Duarte emphasized the broader geopolitical context of the United States' influence in Latin America and the Caribbean.