Pipeline explosion in the east of Venezuela seen from the air, an act of sabotage according to Minister for Oil Tareck El Aissami. Photo: Twitter/@TareckPSUV.
Caracas, July 17, 2022 (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Sunday, July 17, Venezuelan Oil Minister Tarek El Aissami reported that the pipeline network in eastern Venezuela was attacked. This occurs less than a month before the inauguration of Gustavo Petro as the new president of Colombia.
Through his twitter account, El Aissami posted photographs of the attack where flames and smoke can be seen in sections of pipeline installed on the Venezuelan plains. In recent days, Venezuelan authorities have also reported discrete operations capturing illegal extractions of fuel from pipelines, although Minister El Aissami made no reference to these incidents.
“These are the same usual terrorist groups, which have acted against the national interest to affect the lives of our people,” wrote the minister of petroleum.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, for the last few months has been reporting that outgoing far-right Colombian President, Iván Duque, might be behind new terrorist plans against Venezuela in his compulsive hatred towards Chavismo and the Venezuelan people, according to intelligence reports.
RELATED CONTENT: Sabotage Attempt at Venezuela’s El Palito Refinery Averted
2/3 Este vil ataque contra el sistema de gasoductos de Venezuela, forma parte del libreto de sabotajes perpetrados por los enemigos de la paz. En este momento estamos sofocando el incendio provocado por esta criminal acciĂłn, para regularizar el servicio de esta infraestructura. pic.twitter.com/9uO52rdilQ
— Tareck El Aissami (@TareckPSUV) July 17, 2022
El Aissami pointed out that the attack unveiled this Sunday afternoon “is part of the script of sabotage perpetrated by the enemies of peace,” and he announced that they are putting out the fire caused “by this criminal action, to regularize the service of this infrastructure.”
PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, SA) workers, technical personnel and firefighters participated in putting out the fire. El Aissami wrote: “We will be able to immediately recover our gas pipeline, while going after those directly responsible and those who planned it, for their capture and prosecution for these criminal acts.”
Recent incidents
On Monday, May 23, less than a week before the second round of Colombia’s presidential elections, President Maduro condemned the terrorist attacks that targeted Venezuela’s refinery complexes and GurĂ hydroelectric plant. “The Paraguaná refining complex suffered a terrorist attack,” President Maduro said, adding that “on Saturday night the El Palito Refinery also received an attack on the electrical system—also a terrorist attack.” The statement was issued during a meeting in Miraflores Palace.
RELATED CONTENT: Venezuela Denounces New Attack on Its Electrical Grid
President Maduro warned that the refineries were attacked by “infiltrated, hidden enemies,” and said that treasonous right-wing elements and Colombian President Iván Duque were behind the events.
On July 1, the minister for electric energy, Néstor Reverol, reported another sabotage in the electrical grid of Caracas. The minister, in a series of tweets, provided some details about the reason behind the failure of the substation system: “The failure was due to the explosion of a power transformer which had been impacted by a bullet, proving the sabotage and the ongoing war on the electrical grid.”
Las cuadrillas realizaron las maniobras recuperando el 100% de la carga; la falla fue por la explosión de un transformador de potencia afectado por impacto de bala,lo que evidencia el sabotaje y la continuidad de la guerra eléctrica. En las próximas horas daremos más detalles. pic.twitter.com/FDQFxLku89
— NĂ©stor Reverol (@NestorLReverol) July 2, 2022
Minister El Aissami announced on June 4 an attempted sabotage against the protection systems of El Palito Refinery, in the coastal area of Carabobo state, in the west of Venezuela.
On that occasion, he explained that the sabotage “had the objective of generating an explosion inside this facility.” He explained that the electrical system of the refinery’s main station had been “manipulated so that, in the event of any fault activity occurring, the security and protection systems would not be activated which would have generated an explosion of incalculable magnitude.”
On July 5th, during the military parade in commemoration of Venezuelan independence, President Maduro again raised the call to security forces to remain on high alert as he gave a remote address from Miraflores Palace, something unusual for Independence Day parades.
Orinoco Tribune original content by staff
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