Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said the main threat to his country comes from neighboring Colombia, which he branded the "Israel of South America".

In a TV statement, he accused Colombia of preparing to attack Venezuela, under the guise of a strike against guerillas.

"They are preparing the terrain to attack Venezuelan territory, simulating an encampment," he said.

Bilateral relations sharply aggravated after Colombia's military bombarded a camp of Colombian rebels in Ecuador in March 2008, killing FARC leader Raul Reyes as well as another 16 rebels.

In response, Chavez ordered the deployment of several thousand soldiers and tanks toward the border with Colombia. Chavez characterized Colombia's actions as violating Ecuador's sovereignty, and called Colombian President Alvaro Uribe "a criminal."

FARC is a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla group established in 1960s. It is considered a terrorist organization by the Colombian government, the U.S. and the EU. The group's revenues are believed to be partly obtained from drug trafficking and kidnapping.

MOSCOW, December 28 (RIA Novosti)