Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced tonight that Israel will dispatch an aid delegation to earthquake-stricken Venezuela, made possible by the changed political landscape in Caracas since the fall of Nicolas Maduro's regime earlier this year.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced late Tuesday night that Israel will send an aid delegation to Venezuela despite having no diplomatic relations with the country since Hugo Chavez severed them in 2009.
Sa'ar stated that the decision is possible due to the overthrow of Nicolas Maduro's regime earlier this year, which he said has completely transformed the US-Venezuela relationship. Israel now has no embassy in Caracas.
As The Zioneer has reported (Tue 01:20, Mon Jun 29, 23:44), an earlier combined IDF-Foreign Ministry delegation, led by Ambassador Yoed Magen and Home Front Command Chief of Staff Brig.-Gen. Elad Edri, has already been on the ground assisting earthquake recovery efforts. Sa'ar's announcement formalizes the political commitment at the ministerial level and signals that the broader humanitarian mission will continue.
Israel's involvement follows a severe 7.5-magnitude earthquake that struck Venezuela. Multiple Israeli NGOs have also been active in the region.
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