RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA - Brazil's most lethal police operation ever has left President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stunned and struggling to handle the political fallout, as he attempts to reconcile international concerns over human rights violations with growing public support for a crackdown on crime. 

That divide underscores a broader challenge facing Lula, who is hoping to run for reelection next year and has devoted his political capital to an "ecological transformation" of Brazil's economy, capped by the U.N. climate conference COP30 starting this week, while most Brazilians are more preoccupied with public safety.

The October 28 military-style raid in Rio de Janeiro resulted in at least 121 deaths, including four police officers. The level of violence drew sharp condemnation from United Nations officials, who called for prompt, independent investigations into possible unlawful killings. Activists have since staged protests in Rio as bodies continue to be identified.

Lula criticized the raid during his appearance Tuesday at COP30 in Belem, calling it "disastrous."

"The judge's order was for arrest warrants to be served, not a mass killing," he said. "And yet there was a mass killing."

Lula appeared not to have prior notice of the raid, and was returning from Malaysia on a plane with no internet access when it occurred. Since then, he's kept a low profile, his administration "walking on eggshells" according to one source inside the presidential palace. 

"The government can't take ownership of this, but it also can't support that massacre," a second source said. 

In a report to the Supreme Court, the Rio state government defended the operation, claiming security forces used "proportional force" and that "no deaths were reported among individuals outside the narco-terrorist organization," suggesting police actions were targeted.

SUPPORT FOR POLICE KILLINGS

Despite the operation's brutality, fresh polling suggests widespread domestic support for the police action.