NEW YORK — Israel is an imperialist country that annihilates people, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said in Syria.

Chavez lashed out at Israel at a joint news conference in Damascus with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

“Israel has become a country that annihilates people and is hostile to peace,” Chavez was quoted as saying through an interpreter. “I believe it is a fateful battle. It’s either now or never in order to liberate the world from imperialism and change the world from a unipolar into a multi-polar world.”

Chavez is in the region on an 11-day visit that will take in Libya, Algeria, Syria, Iran, Belarus and Russia.

The outspoken Venezuelan leader in recent years has been a harsh critic of Israel, expelling its ambassador to Caracas and forming a close alliance with Iran.

Travelling with Chavez on the two-day trip were a delegation of ministers from foreign affairs, industry, mining, energy, petroleum and trade, Bloomberg.com reported.

Prior to arriving in Syria, Chavez attended celebrations in Tripoli, marking Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi’s 40 years in power.

The visits take place against a backdrop of Chavez’s recent efforts to forge close relationships between Venezuela and Arab nations.