Chavez: Venezuelans will defend Cuba against US

Venezuelans will spill blood to defend Cuba against a possible US invasion, President Hugo Chavez said. "If the US empire were to invade Cuba, Venezuelan blood would run in the defense of Cuba and its people," Chavez said Friday during a speech to government supporters in Venezuela's capital. The Venezuelan leader has long claimed that Washington is plotting to overthrow his leftist government - accusations denied by US officials. He repeated Friday that the US "is preparing an aggression," though it was not clear which country he believed was the target.