After 17 years without diplomatic ties, an Israeli delegation from the Foreign Ministry and IDF is operating in Venezuela, tasked with examining buildings and infrastructure, according to a report by Keren Bezalel (N12).
A new Israeli delegation from the Foreign Ministry and the IDF is now operating in Venezuela, assigned to examine buildings and infrastructure, according to a report by Keren Bezalel (N12). The mission marks a shift from the earlier search-and-rescue operations that have been underway since late June, focusing instead on structural assessment — though no direct link to the earthquake response has been confirmed by the source.
The Zioneer reported on Fri Jun 25 that Israel was considering a humanitarian mission to Venezuela after the 7.5-magnitude earthquake. On Jun 26, a first rescue delegation departed, followed by a joint IDF–Foreign Ministry relief team on Jun 30. By Fri Jul 3, the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, had publicly thanked the Israeli rescue team multiple times, and reports indicated the mission led to the first high-level meeting between the two countries since diplomatic ties were severed in 2009. The current infrastructure assessment team is the second official government delegation to operate in Venezuela in less than a week, building on the diplomatic opening that emerged from the rescue effort.
The Zioneer previously reported on the NGO rescue mission that deployed on Jun 29, and on the evolving official contact between the two governments. The new delegation's specific objectives and the scope of its work remain unclear, and it is not yet known whether the assessments are preparatory for future Israeli engagement in the country.
8 developments
- StrongIDF delegation reportedly in Venezuela to search for earthquake missing
- StrongIsrael considers humanitarian aid mission to earthquake-stricken Venezuela
- DevelopingIDF vanguard of Israeli relief mission lands in quake-hit Venezuela
- StrongFM Sa'ar announces Israel will send aid delegation to Venezuela despite no diplomatic ties
Source and signal
- Internal intake