Rodriguez Asks Sa'ar to Extend Israel Quake Mission

Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez asked Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to keep Israel's earthquake aid delegation in the country, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a two-week extension. The Israeli team, drawn from the Foreign Ministry and IDF Home Front Command, is helping Caracas turn emergency relief into a national reconstruction plan after the June 24 earthquakes. Reports said the mission is mapping about 1,300 damaged buildings for demolition or repair, advising on debris removal and preparing reconstruction zones. The request is a rare humanitarian channel with a country that has had no formal ties with Israel since 2009, showing Israeli emergency expertise serving civilians beyond politics.