Venezuela VP Delcy Rodríguez to Be Interim President After US Strikes Capture Maduro

This comes after the President of the United States Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed that the US had carried out a large strike against Venezuela during which the incumbent President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were captured and taken out of the country.

Laura Loomer said in a post on X, "NEW: Source tells me that @delcyrodriguezv Delcy Rodriguez, the Vice President of Venezuela is going to be announced as the interim President of Venezuela today following US airstrikes on Venezuela and the announcement by President Trump that @NicolasMaduro has been "captured" by US Special Forces and flown out of the country."

The capture of Maduro, as confirmed by Trump, comes amid sharply heightened tensions between the United States and Venezuela. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan President of presiding over what he has described as a "narco-terrorist" government.

Also on Saturday, Italian Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that he is following the developments taking place in Venezuela and that Italian PM Giorgia Meloni is being constantly informed.

The US had also imposed sanctions on vessels it claims are involved in transporting Venezuelan oil. At the same time, the US military stepped up actions against Venezuelan boats in the region, alleging their involvement in drug and narcotics smuggling. Trump has called on Maduro to step down, accusing Venezuela of doing "terrible things" against the United States.

Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government on Saturday issued a statement rejecting and condemning what it described as a "military aggression" by the United States against Venezuelan territory, accusing Washington of violating the United Nations Charter and threatening regional peace and stability.

In the official statement, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela alleged that the United States carried out attacks on civilian and military locations in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, calling the action a flagrant breach of international law, including Articles 1 and 2 of the UN Charter, which uphold state sovereignty and prohibit the use of force.

The Venezuelan government said the alleged aggression was aimed at seizing the country's strategic resources, particularly oil and minerals, and undermining Venezuela's political independence. It rejected what it described as attempts to impose "regime change", stressing that Venezuela had defended its sovereignty for more than two centuries.

Referring to historical precedents, the statement said the Venezuelan people would once again defend their independence, invoking the legacy of Simon Bolivar and other national leaders. Calling for mobilisation, the Venezuelan government urged all social and political forces to repudiate what it termed an "imperialist attack".

It said the Bolivarian National Armed Forces were deployed nationwide to guarantee sovereignty and peace, while diplomatic channels would be activated to raise complaints before the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary-General, CELAC and the Non-Aligned Movement. The statement said President Nicolas Maduro had ordered the implementation of national defence plans in line with the Constitution and relevant national security laws, and had signed a decree declaring a State of External Commotion across Venezuela.

It added that comprehensive national defence command structures had been deployed across states and municipalities. Invoking Article 51 of the UN Charter, the Venezuelan government said it reserves the right to exercise legitimate self-defence to protect its people, territory and independence, and called on governments and peoples worldwide to express solidarity.

The statement was issued amid reports of loud explosions across Venezuela's capital Caracas early Saturday, which triggered power outages in several neighbourhoods, CNN reported.

- ANI