Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino has announced the immediate deployment of military forces across the country. He called on the people to unite in resistance, calling the US attack “the worst military aggression” against Venezuela.
In a video address in Spanish on Saturday (January 3), the defense minister said the armed forces were on high alert, in accordance with President Nicolas Maduro’s orders. “They attacked us, but they will not be able to suppress us,” he said.
Earlier, President Nicolas Maduro declared a national emergency across the country after the US airstrikes. Multiple explosions occurred in various areas, including the capital Caracas, at around 2 am local time. The Venezuelan government claimed that the US had attacked civilian facilities as well as military infrastructure.
The government statement said the attacks targeted the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, in addition to Caracas. President Maduro condemned the attacks as an aggressive US attempt to seize Venezuela’s oil and mineral resources.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump claimed that Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife had been captured and taken out of the country in a “large-scale” operation. However, the Venezuelan government did not immediately provide any confirmation about Maduro’s detention or whereabouts.
There is extreme concern and tension in the international arena following the incident.