A firefighter stands in front of a building in northern Tehran hit by one of the Israeli attacks on the morning of June 13. Photo: Vahid Salemi/AP.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—This Friday, Venezuela issued a statement strongly condemning Israel’s criminal aggression against Iran following armed attacks that affected over 12 provinces of the Islamic Republic.
In the early hours of Friday, June 13, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against Iran, destroying civilian areas in the capital, Tehran, as well as nuclear program and military facilities across the country.
The Zionist Air Force carried out over 300 attacks on multiple sites, including Tehran. Iranian sources reported at least 20 explosions in the capital and surrounding areas, triggering air defenses and forcing the closure of airspace. Many analysts explained that such an attack was not possible without US intelligence and military assistance.
Published images showed collapsed residential buildings and civilian structures in several Tehran neighborhoods. Within the first minutes of the attack, explosions also erupted in other cities, including Natanz, Isfahan, Arak, Kermanshah, and Tabriz.
Israel claimed to have struck and damaged facilities at the Natanz nuclear complex, including underground enrichment structures.
The Zionist entity claims that the reason for the attack was an imminent risk of Iran reaching nuclear weapons capabilities. However, some experts state that this might be a move by the Israeli regime to distract from growing Western criticism of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
In addition to civilian buildings in Tehran, the Israeli military destroyed dozens of Iranian radars and anti-aircraft launchers. Iran acknowledged severe damage to its main enrichment plant but reported no casualties at the facility.
The attacks killed approximately 78 people and injured 329, according to Iran’s United Nations (UN) ambassador. Among the dead were nuclear scientists Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi and Fereydoun Abbasi, as well as high-ranking military officials: Revolutionary Guard Gen. Hossein Salami, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri of the General Staff, missile program commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and Khatam ol-Anbiya base commander Gholam Ali Rashid.
Regional reactions
Along with Venezuela’s statement, several Latin American leaders expressed solidarity with Iran. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel strongly condemned the attacks, saying they “endanger international peace and security.”
Mexico’s foreign ministry expressed “deep concern” and urged restraint to avoid further risks to civilians.
Nicaragua condemned Israel’s “reckless aggression,” warning that the attack could escalate into a global conflict.
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Unofficial translation of Venezuela’s statement
Below is the unofficial translation of the communique:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela categorically condemns the illegitimate, unjustified, and international law-violating military aggression perpetrated by the State of Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This is an act of war that adds to the long history of crimes by the Netanyahu regime, whose machinery of destruction operates outside of any legal framework. Venezuela demands an immediate cessation of all hostilities by Israel, which has turned its foreign policy into a permanent threat to peace in West Asia.
We express our deepest solidarity with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the Iranian people in the face of this cowardly attack.
We reiterate that there will be no peace without justice and that justice begins with halting the arms-fueled madness of Israel, a military enclave, genocidaires of the Palestinian people, and war criminals who have become the greatest threat to peace for humanity.
Caracas, June 12, 2025
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SF
