The United States has dramatically escalated tensions in Latin America after President Donald Trump announced a large scale military strike inside Venezuela and claimed that President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and removed from the country. Trump said the operation was carried out in coordination with US law enforcement and described it as a decisive move against what Washington calls a criminal regime. The strikes were carried out early Saturday and had been feared in Venezuela for weeks amid rising threats and sanctions.
The Venezuelan government immediately rejected the claim and denounced the operation as a grave act of military aggression against its sovereignty and people. Officials accused Washington of violating international law and called on the global community to respond. Senior US officials meanwhile framed the operation as the beginning of a new political chapter for Venezuela and said Maduro would face justice in American courts.
Reactions across Latin America were swift and largely critical. Colombia Chile Mexico Brazil and Uruguay condemned the use of force and warned that military intervention would destabilize the region. Brazil’s president said the attack crossed an unacceptable line and recalled the darkest moments of foreign interference in Latin America. Cuba and Bolivia went further and described the operation as state terrorism while calling for urgent international action.
Global powers also voiced concern. China Russia Iran and France strongly criticized the US action as a violation of sovereignty and international law. The European Union called for restraint and stressed the need for a peaceful transition. Some leaders including Argentina and Ecuador welcomed the move and said it could open the way for democratic change. The crisis has left the region tense and the world divided over the consequences of a sudden and forceful intervention.
