Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar addressed the Paraguayan Parliament on Monday, warning that Venezuela's socialist government has become a primary hub for Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis in South America, Breitbart reported Tuesday.
Speaking before Paraguay's Congress, Sa'ar said the Maduro regime enables these groups to operate throughout the region and has transformed Venezuela into a central base for expanding drug trafficking and international terrorist networks.
"In South America, criminals are forming narco-terrorism alliances with the Middle East. The hub of this network is Venezuela," Sa'ar reportedly said, adding that President Nicolás Maduro has "destabilized the region by causing a refugee crisis and is the basis for Hezbollah's terrorist operations."
Sa'ar said Maduro openly aligns Venezuela with Iran's "axis of resistance" and characterized Lebanon, Gaza, and Yemen as "terrorist states" where militant organizations are embedded in government structures and capable of coordinating internationally, including in Africa and Latin America.
"Today, terrorist states do not focus solely on areas they control, but threaten the region and the world," he said.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil responded on behalf of the Maduro regime in a social media post, calling Sa'ar a "war criminal and a genocidal maniac."
"What you should be doing is not mentioning Venezuela but preparing to be tried for the crimes your government commits against the Palestinian people," Gil wrote. "The name Venezuela is too big for your dirty mouth and hands stained with innocent blood."
Sa'ar's comments come as the United States recently designated another Venezuelan drug cartel as a terrorist organization, part of the Trump administration's broader effort to target narcotics networks operating from the Caribbean.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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