Donald Trump says the US has carried out a ‘large-scale strike’ against Venezuela and captured its president.
United States President Donald Trump has said the US has carried out a “large-scale strike” against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed Maduro and his wife had been “captured and flown out of the country” following the operation, which he said was conducted “in conjunction with US law enforcement”.
The US carried out strikes inside Venezuela early on Saturday, in a dramatic escalation that Venezuelans had feared for weeks.
US media outlets, including Fox News and CBS News, earlier reported that the US carried out strikes on the South American country.
In a statement on X, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Venezuela was experiencing a “new dawn”.
“A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now – finally – face justice for his crimes,” he said.
In an initial statement, Maduro accused the US of an “extremely serious military aggression”.
“Venezuela rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people,” Maduro’s government said.
Other countries are also reacting to the attack.
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Colombia
“Alerting the whole world that they have attacked Venezuela,” Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote in a series of statements posted on the social media platform X.
“The Republic of Colombia reiterates its conviction that peace, respect for international law, and the protection of life and human dignity must prevail over any form of armed confrontation,” Petro said.
In a separate post, he said Colombia “rejects the aggression against the sovereignty of Venezuela and of Latin America”.
Petro later announced the deployment of military forces to the Venezuelan border.
Cuba
President Miguel Diaz-Canel issued a sharply worded condemnation on social media, accusing Washington of carrying out a “criminal attack” against Venezuela and calling for an urgent international response.
In a post on X, Diaz-Canel said Cuba’s so-called “zone of peace” was being “brutally assaulted”, describing the US action as “state terrorism” directed not only at the Venezuelan people but at “Our America” more broadly.
He ended the statement with the revolutionary slogan: “Homeland or Death, We Shall Overcome.”
In a statement posted by various Cuban embassies around the world, Havana said it “denounces the US military attack against Venezuela”.
The statement also “demands an urgent reaction from the international community”, describing the attack as “state terrorism”.
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Iran
In a statement, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “strongly condemns the American military attack on Venezuela and the flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country”.
Russia
Moscow is deeply concerned and condemned an “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela committed by the US, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “In the current situation, it is important … to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said “Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive, military intervention from outside.
“We reaffirm our solidarity with the Venezuelan people and our support for its leadership’s policy of defending the country’s national interests and sovereignty, ” it added.
United States
Republican Senator Mike Lee said the US has completed its military action in Venezuela after capturing its leader, Nicolas Maduro.
“He anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in US custody,” Lee wrote on X after what he said was a telephone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Lee said the Trump administration has briefed him that Maduro will face criminal charges in the US.
European Union
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said she has spoken with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the EU ambassador in Caracas regarding the latest developments in Venezuela.
“The EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela,” Kallas said in a statement on X.
“The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr Maduro lacks legitimacy and has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint. The safety of EU citizens in the country is our top priority.”
Spain
Madrid called for de-escalation, moderation and respect for international law in Venezuela, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. It also offered itself as a negotiator to help find a peaceful solution in Venezuela.
Italy
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was “closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela”, also with an aim of “gathering information about our fellow citizens” in the country. Meloni added she was in constant contact with Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. About 160,000 Italians currently live in Venezuela, most of them with dual citizenship.
Source: Al Jazeera & Agencies
