"Israel had a bad experience when attacks occurred in Buenos Aires. Today we see the closeness between Chavez and the Iranians, and of course we want to prevent further attacks against Israelis," Lieberman said when answering questions seeking evidence to support Israel's claim that the Iran-backed Lebanese Shia militant movement Hezbollah has cells in Venezuela.

• Israel's claims of Venezuela's links to Hezbollah -- made to a Jewish News Agency of Argentina by an Israeli diplomat accompanying Lieberman -- were vehemently denied by Venezuela's foreign ministry.

Lieberman also accused Chavez of anti-Semitism after the Venezuelan President said the United States has turned neighboring Colombia into a Latin American version of Israel by setting up a military platform there. The allegations by Chavez show "xenophobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Israelism. It is not a new phenomenon, and it is regrettable that it exists in the 21st century after the Holocaust: terrorism against the people of Israel, and the use of such anti-Semitic language."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has expressed explicit support for Iran's controversial uranium enrichment programme, which the United States and other powers fear is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Iran has recently sought to expand its interests and make new allies in the Latin American region, specifically with Bolivia and Venezuela, both considered 'hostile' by the United States.