Washington: US President Donald Trump’s decision to launch large-scale military strikes on Venezuela took the world by surprise.
The capital city of Caracas was hit by a series of explosions as low-lying aircraft flew over several areas in the early hours of Saturday. Venezuela President Maduro and his wife were captured and taken to New York aboard an American warship.
Several countries and even US politicians slammed Trump while committing to stand by Venezuela.
Indian-origin Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna urged Americans to stand against “warmongering,” opining that Trump had betrayed his MAGA base with today’s attack.
“Donald Trump betrayed his MAGA base today, launching a war of choice to bring regime change in Venezuela. We keep voting against dumb wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, & Libya. But our Presidents bow to a foreign policy blob committed to militarism. They get us entangled in conflicts abroad, while ignoring the lack of good jobs and high costs for Americans at home,” Khanna wrote on X.
“What will we say now if Xi Jinping wants to capture Lai of Taiwan or Putin tries to capture Zelensky in Ukraine? The times call for a movement of the American people to stand against bloated defence budgets and warmongering. We need statesmen who will heed the advice of Washington and our founders and invest in jobs, healthcare, childcare & education for our people,” the US lawmaker added.
China, Russia condemn US action
China condemned the US action, saying it violated international law.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed “firm solidarity with the Venezuelan people in the face of armed aggression” during a phone conversation with Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who faced Trump’s wrath last year, also spoke out.
“What matters is that when a person realises the enemy is arrogantly trying to impose something on the country, on the officials, on the government, and on the nation, one must stand firmly against the enemy and bare one’s chest in resistance. We will not yield to the enemy,” said Khamenei.
Turkish Foreign ministry said the government is “closely monitoring” developments and attaches importance to “stability of Venezuela and well-being of Venezuelan people.”
Trump watches attack in real time
Trump, who confirmed the military action in an early morning post on Social Truth, told Fox News he had not seen anything like this and was able to watch it in real time.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. I was able to watch it in real time, and I watched every aspect of it. It was amazing to see the professionalism — the quality of leadership… amazing,” Trump said.
“They rehearsed and practised like nobody has ever seen. I was told by military people there is no other country on earth that can do such a manoeuvre. I watched it like I was watching a television show. If you would have seen the speed, violence – it was an amazing thing, an amazing job that these people have done. Nobody else could have done anything like this,” Trump added.
New indictment against Venezuelan President Maduro & wife
The US Justice Department released a new indictment against Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores for their alleged role in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Announcing the indictment, US Attorney General Pamela Bondi shared a link to the unsealed indictment on X.
In the new video, Maduro is accused of heading a “corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.” It further alleges that the trafficking operations “enriched and entrenched Venezuela’s political and military elite”.
US authorities have alleged that Maduro worked with “some of the most violent and prolific drug traffickers and narco-terrorists in the world” to move tons of cocaine into the United States. Officials claimed in the indictment that Maduro has been “at the forefront” of corruption and abuse of public trust in the country for more than 25 years.
