CARACAS, Venezuela: Venezuela on Saturday called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to address what it described as US bombings of the country, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
“Faced with the criminal aggression committed by the US government against our homeland, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which is responsible for upholding international law,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil wrote on the Telegram messaging platform.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that US forces had captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro after launching a “large-scale strike” on the South American country.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump said on Truth Social.
The US president said in December, “it would be smart for (Maduro)” to step down, and has also said that the Venezuelan leader’s “days are numbered.”
Trump’s claim of Maduro’s capture comes two days after Maduro attempted to engage with Trump, offering cooperation on fighting drug trafficking and illegal migration.
Trump has given differing arguments for his campaign against Venezuela, including the claim that the country is a major drug exporter to the United States and that Venezuela seized US oil interests.
Meanwhile Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello has said his country “will overcome” a wave US military strikes, which Washington said also included the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
Cabello, regarded as one of the most powerful figures in Caracas, said on local television that Venezuela would prevail once the attacks end, adding that the country had endured repeated challenges and “managed to survive under all circumstances.”
