After Israel's FM Sa'ar blasts Venezuela as 'nexus of narco-terrorism', Venezuelan FM calls him 'war criminal’

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, currently on a diplomatic mission to South America, stirred up some diplomatic furor from Venezuela during his visit to Paraguay. 

The outrage followed remarks in a speech at a special session of the Paraguayan parliament in support of Israel, when he turned his attention briefly to Venezuela. 

Speaking about Venezuela’s disruptive effect on South America, and its connection to Middle East terror, Sa’ar stated, “In South America, criminals are building narco-terror alliances with the Middle East terror states. The nexus of this network is Venezuela.” 

Paraguay is one of Israel's greatest friends in the world.
It was a true honor to address a special joint session of Paraguay's National Assembly. I thank the President of the Senate @bachinunezpy and the President of the Chamber of Deputies @raulatorre for granting me the… pic.twitter.com/yIz2HXrCOQ

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) November 24, 2025

He accused Venezuela of hosting Hezbollah terrorists and producing weapons for Iran, calling it part of the “Axis of Resistance.” 

“Venezuela destabilizes the region by driving a refugee crisis. It serves as a base for Hezbollah terror operatives. It hosts an Iranian weapons production facility. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has said openly that Venezuela is part of ‘the Axis of Resistance.’ He said that this axis exists in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean. When he says this, we should believe him.” 

Sa’ar said such action puts Venezuela on par with Yemen, Lebanon, and Gaza, which he called “terrorist states” due to the presence of militant Islamic terror groups embedded in the local governments. 

🚨📛Israel acusa a Venezuela de ser un nexo de Hizbulá y Hamás en Suramérica

🌎 El canciller de Israel, Gideon Saar, afirmó en Paraguay que Venezuela funciona como “nexo” en Suramérica para Hizbulá, Hamás y los hutíes, grupos señalados como organizaciones terroristas por… pic.twitter.com/E5CvcUFZRZ

— EVTV (@EVTVMiami) November 25, 2025

"Today, terrorist states do not focus solely on areas they control, but threaten the region and the world," Sa’ar said. 

In response, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto posted a personal attack on social media.

"Gideon Saar, you are a criminal of war and genocide,” Pinto wrote on his Telegram account.  “What you should be doing is not mentioning Venezuela, but preparing to be tried for the crimes your government is committing against the Palestinian people.” 

Gil Pinto went on to say that Venezuela is fighting “for its sovereignty,” claiming it is a country “that liberates, that defends equality, human rights and international law.” 

Sa'ar's comments about Venezuela, and its link to Middle East terror, come after the United States recently designated another Venezuelan drug cartel as a terrorist organization. The U.S. has moved a large number of naval forces to the Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to target narcotics networks operating from the South American country. 

Despite the U.S. actions against Venezuela, Israel’s largely successful prosecution of the Gaza War against Hamas – and the nation's remarkable success during the 12-day Israel-Iran War – Venezuela has consistently sided with Iran and with the Palestinian resistance terror groups. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently held a phone call with Gil Pinto in which they discussed the countries’ strategic ties, particularly their economic and technological cooperation.

FM @araghchi held a phone call with Venezuelan FM Yván Gil Pinto 🇻🇪 to discuss #Iran–#Venezuela strategic ties, economic & technological cooperation, and regional developments. Both stressed multilateralism and resistance to unilateral coercive measures 🇮🇷#Diplomacy #SouthSouth pic.twitter.com/NEws6wtL26

— Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran🇮🇷 (@Iran_GOV) November 26, 2025

U.S. analysts say that the cooperation between the two countries is partially motivated by a desire to strengthen and help each other avoid the full impact of U.S. sanctions. 

Last week, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei expressed support for Venezuela and warned of "dangerous repercussions" from U.S. military activity against the South American nation. 

Isaias Medina III, a former Venezuelan diplomat who resigned over human rights violations by Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, told Fox News Digital that "Iran’s partnership with the rogue Venezuelan narco-dictatorship is far from a principled stand for ‘sovereign rights’ under the U.N. Charter. It is a calculated strategy serving mutual interests in criminal enterprise and asymmetric warfare, posing a direct and evolving threat to U.S. national security.” 

Danny Citrinowicz, a senior fellow at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said that Iran is afraid of losing a strategic regional ally due to Trump’s actions. 

"Iran is extremely, extremely worried that it’s going to lose its main hub in Latin America," Citrinowicz said. "Losing Maduro will be a strategic loss for Iran, because Venezuela is a strategic hub, not only for the activity in Venezuela itself, but also activity in Latin America in general.” 

Meanwhile, Minister Sa’ar is currently in Argentina, where he is expected to participate in commemorative events in remembrance of the victims of Hezbollah’s two terrorist attacks in the country.

Hezbollah was linked to two bombings in Argentina in the 1990s: the 17 March 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 29 and wounded 242, and the 18 July 1994 bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) Jewish community center, which killed 85 and injured over 300.