Venezuela expressed its firm condemnation of the incident and stated that it is "an action that clearly raises tensions in the region, without any basis in international law."

The Venezuelan government Friday condemned the military attack carried out by the United States against Baghdad, Iraq, in which the Quds Force commander, the Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated and called for respecting international law in order to preserve peace.

In a statement issued by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, Venezuela expressed its firm condemnation of the incident which occurred during this Friday morning, local time in Iraq, when a missile attack was registered near Baghdad International Airport and the car in which Soleimani was staying was hit.

"This is an action that clearly raises tensions in the region, without any basis in international law, directed directly against a military chief and a group of high-ranking officials of a sovereign country, in a conflict zone," the statement refers.

Venezuelan authorities lamented the deaths caused by the U.S. aggression led by the president Donald Trump, conveying their condolences and solidarity to the people, as well as to the governments of Iraq and Iran.

The Government also "called for respect for international law and for all actors involved to contribute to the preservation of peace in the Middle East."

The U.S. -provoked attack and assassination was condemned by several countries around the world who fear an escalation of violence.

For her part, the president of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, warned that this act by Donald Trump could increase the risk to the nation’s security, and accused the current administration of carrying out attacks in Iraq "without authorization" of Congress.

Meanwhile, the president of the United States, Donald Trump, at a press conference on Friday, defended his order to kill the top Iranian general about 24 hours earlier. "We caught him in the act and terminated him," he said.

Trump on the assassination of Iranian Major-General #QassemSoleimani: "Flawless precision strike" killed Soleimani. "We caught him in the act and terminated him." pic.twitter.com/iqSYJTcGyA — teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) January 3, 2020

Iranian authorities have promised to respond to the U.S. slew attack. The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Yavad Zarif, stated that the attack that killed Soleimani is an "act of international terrorism" for whose consequences the U.S. government will be responsible.







