Venezuela Defense Minister Vows Support for Iran against US
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino Lopez condemned the US for assassinating Iran’s revered commander, Lt. General Qassem Soleimani, as “a terrorist act” and said Caracas sides with Tehran in the campaign against the global arrogance.
In a telephone conversation with Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami on Thursday, Padrino hailed Martyr Soleimani as “a brave and noble man” with “a praiseworthy character”.
“With this terrorist act, millions of General Soleimanis have been created in the world,” the Venezuelan minister said.
“The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly condemns this terrorist act and I extend my heartfelt condolences to you and the people of Iran on behalf of the Venezuelan armed forces, the people of my country and all the commanders…,” he stated.
“We will side with Iran to fight the (global) arrogance,” Lopez added.
Brigadier General Hatami, for his part, thanked his Venezuelan counterpart for his sympathies and said he is grateful to the president and cabinet members of the Latin American country for their presence in Iran’s embassy to pay tribute to General Soleimani.
The remarks came as Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday targeted two US airbases in Iraq, including the Ain al-Assad in the western province of Anbar, in retaliation for the US assassination of the top Iranian anti-terror commander.
An informed source at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said the IRGC’s missile attack on the US airbase of Ain al-Assad has killed at least 80 American forces.
“At least 104 targets from the positions of the Americans and their allies in the region have been identified, and if the Americans make any mistake again, those positions will be targeted,” the source warned.
The source also said that a number of American drones and helicopters and a large amount of military equipment were seriously damaged in the IRGC missile attack.
Fifteen missiles rained down on Ain al-Assad airbase, none of which were intercepted by the US army’s radar system, the source stated, adding that the accuracy and destructive power of the missiles have been so high that a number of the missiles annihilated several sensitive targets simultaneously each.
