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The Chinese Foreign Ministry informed that this is the first state visit to China by a South Korean president in almost nine years and comes two months after the meeting between the two presidents in Gyeongju, South Korea.

The Foreign Ministry informed that Lee will hold talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing from January 4 to 6, and will continue his program in Shanghai on January 6 and 7.

Seoul informed that the leaders will discuss cooperation in supply chains, investment, the digital economy, the environment, and the fight against transnational crime, with the possible signing of several memoranda of understanding.

South Korean authorities pointed out that the visit aims at consolidating the momentum of the bilateral strategic partnership and strengthen channels of political dialogue.

During his stay in Shanghai, Lee will visit the former site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, as part of the commemorations of Kim Gu’s 150th birthday and the 100th anniversary of the establishment of that historic headquarters.

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In an exclusive interview with Prensa Latina, the Dominican friar condemned the attack and added that it is a crime against humanity, an act of imperialist terrorism.

“Long live the people of Venezuela!” exclaimed the author of the book “Fidel and Religion,” who also shared with this news agency a statement in which he explains that the aggression “becomes a very serious violation of the sovereignty and independence of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

The intellectual also describes some of the most notorious cases in which the United States was directly or indirectly involved in actions that led to the deposition, death, or disappearance of Latin American leaders.

He cites, for example, the case of Jacobo Arbenz, the democratically elected president of Guatemala. “Overthrown in 1954 by a coup backed by the White House, who died in exile in circumstances considered accidental—drowning—in 1971.”

“In that same year, 1954, the United States promoted the coup that established a military dictatorship in Paraguay. Ten years later, it replicated the eradication of democracy in Brazil (1964), Argentina (1966 and 1976), Bolivia (1966 and 1971), Uruguay, and Chile (1973).”

Betto analyzes, among others, the case of Chilean President Salvador Allende; that of Omar Torrijos, the progressive president of Panama; and that of the progressive Maurice Bishop, elected prime minister of Grenada in 1979.

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The post Frei Betto describes US Attack on Venezuela a crime against humanity first appeared on Prensa Latina.

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Venezuela strongly condemned the statements made by the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, supporting the US aggression against Venezuela and the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, which constitute an inadmissible interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and demonstrate a profound ignorance of the country’s political, institutional, and social reality.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil made public the condemnation through an official statement published on Saturday, January 3, in which he noted that the Venezuelan people fully exercise their sovereignty, have their constitutional president, Nicolás Maduro Moros, their legitimate institutions, their natural resources, and a government that emanates from the popular will and the constitutional order.

Below is an unofficial translation of the full statement:

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects in the strongest possible terms the insolent statements issued by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, which constitute an inadmissible interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and demonstrate a profound ignorance of the country’s political, institutional, and social reality.

The Venezuelan people fully exercise their sovereignty, have their constitutional President, Nicolás Maduro Moros, their legitimate institutions, their natural resources, and a government that emanates from the popular will and the constitutional order.

In light of the gravity of these statements and in strict adherence to international law, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela will take the diplomatic actions it deems appropriate as part of its evaluation of relations with the French Republic.

Venezuela’s response is due to the fact that this Saturday French President Emmanuel Macron celebrated the fall of “Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship,” who was abducted by the US through a military operation, and wants Edmundo González Urrutia, whom he considers the “elected” president since the 2024 elections, to lead a transition.

Caracas, January 3, 2026

Venezuela’s Revolution Remains Intact—International and Domestic Demonstrations Demand Return of Abducted President

ALBA-TCP repudiates US aggression against Venezuela
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – Peoples’ Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) condemned the grave military aggression perpetrated by the US regime against Venezuela, condemning before the international community the air strikes carried out in the early hours of January 3 against civilian and military targets and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

In a statement issued on Saturday, January 3, ALBA-TCP noted,”This is a criminal act of war, in direct violation of the United Nations Charter, threatening the peace, sovereignty, and stability of all of Latin America and the Caribbean. This aggression has a clear objective: the looting of Venezuela’s strategic resources, particularly oil and gold, thru a colonial policy of military intervention and regime change.”

“US imperialism is once again resorting to war to impose its interests, disregarding the self-determination of peoples and the history of resistance of a country that has never surrendered to foreign domination,” it added.

The organization demanded “a firm stance from governments and international bodies, and we call on democratic governments committed to peace to condemn this barbarity without equivocation. We demand the immediate and unconditional cessation of the United States’ military offensive against Venezuela.”

“We call on the peoples of the world to be on permanent mobilization, starting this Saturday, January 3, in every country, in front of the embassies and diplomatic missions of the United States, to denounce this imperialist war,” the statement urged.

(Últimas Noticias) by Carlos Eduardo Sánchez, with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/DZ

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The Brazilian government has called for an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to address the US attack against Venezuela and the illegal abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

The acting foreign affairs minister of Brazil, María Laura da Rocha, stated on Saturday, January 3, that “a ministerial meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States has been convened tomorrow [Sunday] at 2:00 p.m. local time in Brasilia, in which all countries of the region will participate.”

Rocha added that the Brazilian government will also present its opposition to US intervention at the United Nations Security Council meeting scheduled for Monday.

On Saturday morning, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that the US bombings on Venezuelan territory and the abduction of its president are unacceptable. “These acts represent a grave affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and set an extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community,” he said.

“Attacking countries in flagrant violation of international law is the first step toward a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism,” he added.

He further that “the condemnation of the use of force is consistent with the stance Brazil has always adopted in recent situations in other countries and regions. The US attack evokes the worst moments of interference in Latin American and Caribbean politics and threatens the preservation of the region as a zone of peace.”

Lula da Silva also insisted that the international community, through the United Nations, must respond firmly to this episode. “Brazil condemns these actions and remains ready to promote dialogue and cooperation,” he emphasized.

Trump Claims He Plans to ‘Govern Venezuela’ and Threatens 2nd Attack

United Nations Security Council schedules meeting to discuss situation in Venezuela
The UN mission of Somalia, which holds the presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) this January, announced that the Council will convene on Monday, January 5, to discuss the situation in Venezuela which suffered US bombardments on Saturday.

“The presidency intends to hold an emergency meeting on Monday at 10:00 a.m.,” the Somali delegation stated.

The US bombed military and civilian installations in Caracas and in the Venezuelan state of La Guaira at around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday.

Similarly, an explosion was reported in the tourist city of Higuerote in the northern state of Miranda.

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, confirmed a few hours later on his Truth Social platform that the United States had carried out a large-scale attack against Venezuela and that President Nicolás Maduro had been captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores. They have been taken to New York, where Maduro will be tried for alleged drug-trafficking offenses.

The United States had previously designated the non-existent Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization and claimed President Maduro was one of its leaders, and offered a $50 million reward for his capture.

The attack on Venezuela occurred after months of growing tensions, amplified since August by the United States with a military operation in the Caribbean that included a nuclear submarine, destroyers, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, and more than 4,000 troops.

Over these months, the US Navy carried out dozens of attacks on vessels in the Caribbean, claiming them to be “drug-boats,” killing at least 110 people. A naval blockade against Venezuela in mid-December was added to that deployment.

The justification for the US government’s military operation was to curb drug trafficking into its territory. However, Venezuela, which has never been a drug-producing country nor a transit route, condemned the attacks as a violation of international law and its sovereignty.

(Telesur, Telesur)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SC/DZ

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Members of the US Congress on Saturday demanded emergency legislative action to prevent the Trump administration from taking further military action in Venezuela after the president threatened a “second wave” of attacks and said the US will control the South American country’s government indefinitely.

Representative Greg Casar (Democrat – Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), said that “Congress should vote immediately on a War Powers Resolution to stop” President Donald Trump, whose administration has for months unlawfully bombed boats in international waters and threatened a direct military assault on Venezuela without lawmakers’ approval.

“Trump has no right to take us to war with Venezuela. This is reckless and illegal,” said Casar. “My entire life, politicians have been sending other people’s kids to die in reckless regime change wars. Enough. No new wars.”

Another prominent CPC member, Representative Rashida Tlaib (Democrat – Michigan), said in response to the bombing of Venezuela and capture of its president that “these are the actions of a rogue state.”

“Trump’s illegal and unprovoked bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of its president are grave violations of international law and the US Constitution,” Tlaib wrote on social media. “The American people do not want another regime change war abroad.”

Progressives weren’t alone in criticizing the administration’s unauthorized military action in Venezuela. Establishment Democrats, including Senator Adam Schiff of California and others, also called for urgent congressional action in the face of Trump’s latest unlawful bombing campaign.

“Without congressional approval or the buy-in of the public, Trump risks plunging a hemisphere into chaos and has broken his promise to end wars instead of starting them,” Schiff said in a statement. “Congress must bring up a new War Powers Resolution and reassert its power to authorize force or to refuse to do so. We must speak for the American people who profoundly reject being dragged into new wars.”

Senator Tim Kaine (Democrat – Virginia) said he will force a Senate vote next week on a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to block additional US military action in Venezuela.

“Where will this go next?” Kaine asked in a statement. “Will the president deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama Canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies? Trump has threatened to do all this and more and sees no need to seek legal authorization from people’s elected legislature before putting servicemembers at risk.”

“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy, and trade,” Kaine added. “My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week.”

The lawmakers’ push for legislative action came as Trump clearly indicated that his administration isn’t done intervening in Venezuela’s internal politics—and plans to exploit the country’s vast oil reserves.

During a press conference on Saturday, Trump said that the US “is going to run” Venezuela, signaling the possibility of a troop deployment.

“We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” the president said in response to a reporter’s question, adding vaguely that his administration is “designating various people” to run the government.

Whether the GOP-controlled Congress acts to constrain the Trump administration will depend on support from Republicans, who have largely applauded the US attack on Venezuela and capture of Maduro. In separate statements, House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican -Louisiana) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (Republican – South Dakota) described the operation as “decisive” and justified.

Ahead of Saturday’s assault, the Republican-controlled Congress rejected War Powers Resolutions aimed at preventing Trump from launching a war on Venezuela without lawmakers’ approval.

Trump Boasts About US Military Intervention in Venezuela: 5 Alarming Statements Reveal Dangerous US Agenda

One Republican lawmaker who had raised constitutional concerns about Saturday’s actions, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, appeared to drop them after a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

But Senator Andy Kim (Democrat – New Jersey) noted in a statement that both Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “looked every senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change.”

“I didn’t trust them then, and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress,” said Kim. “Trump rejected our constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict because the administration knows the American people overwhelmingly reject risks pulling our nation into another war.”

(Common Dreams) by Jake Johnson

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Valdes told Prensa Latina that in his congratulatory message, Mirziyoyev wholeheartedly conveyed his sincerest congratulations to the Cuban president and his people, and expressed his best wishes on the Republic of Cuba’s national holiday: Liberation Day.

The Uzbek president wrote in his message, “I am convinced that the practical ties of cooperation between our countries will continue to expand steadily for the benefit of the common interests of our friendly peoples.”

Mirziyoyev highlighted in particular the joint efforts to take the comprehensive partnership between Cuba and Uzbekistan in the economy, agriculture, health, as well as cultural and humanitarian cooperation, to a new stage.

The head of State also wished his Cuban counterpart good health, family well-being, and continued success in his responsible state work, and wish the friendly people of Cuba peace, sustainable development, and prosperity.

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The director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (DAPRE), Angie Rodriguez, read the statement issued after the meeting, in which the actions to be taken in the border area with the neighboring country were decided.

As part of the preventative approach and in accordance with the public policy document entitled “Lasting Solutions for Victims,” preparations and the allocation of resources will be implemented to provide comprehensive support to the Colombian population in the border area.

The text also revealed that, given the potential economic impacts stemming from regional migration dynamics, the National Government is considering declaring an Economic Emergency, intending to have exceptional tools to enable a swift, timely, and efficient response to the situation.

The statement also expressed that the Armed Forces are on high alert to address any potential security situations in the border region, to guarantee sovereignty, defense, and territorial integrity.

It detailed the deployment of 30,000 soldiers to the border with Venezuela, prioritizing regions considered critical, under a comprehensive and coordinated response plan involving all state entities.

The statement concluded with an expression of “full support” for President Gustavo Petro, as well as a rejection of the accusations that, it emphasized, are being made against him.

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The Argentine sociologist stated during an interview that the airstrike perpetrated by Washington against Caracas confirms the collapse of the rules that have governed the world since the post-war period.

Boron said, “It is unacceptable; a situation like this cannot be normalized,” as validating such an action could unleash “dangerous geopolitical repercussions” beyond South America.

According to his analysis, after breaking international law, “the United States could be tacitly enabling other powers to resolve their territorial disputes by force.” “We should not be surprised tomorrow if Azerbaijan simply seizes Armenia, or if China finally decides to include Taiwan in its national jurisdiction,” he exemplified.

Regarding the White House’s motivations, the academician dismissed the official narrative focused on drug trafficking or democracy.

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“We have an excellent relationship with the United States in terms of security and other issues. There is communication, understanding on security matters,” Sheinbaum affirmed, La Jornada newspaper reported.

“As we have always said: collaboration, coordination, but not subordination,” the president emphasized in response to the interventionist threat.

A few hours after the military aggression against Venezuela, which ended with the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, the US magnate speculated that drug cartels supposedly govern the Central American country.

He mentioned that “something will have to be done with Mexico” to stop the illegal flow of drugs into the United States.

Sheinbaum expressed her rejection of the aggressions perpetrated by the United States against the Bolivarian nation.

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The leading television network broadcast the statement from the Revolutionary Government, which strongly condemned the criminal violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.

ZBC highlighted Havana’s support for Venezuelan Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and its emphatic demand for the immediate release by US authorities of the president and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The statement describes the escalation in the sustained war campaign that the United States has been waging for years against that nation, intensified since September with the aggressive naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea under unfounded pretenses and accusations.

The text indicated that the Revolutionary Government accused Washington of seeking control of Venezuela’s natural resources in “a flagrant imperialist and fascist aggression aimed at domination, intended to revive US hegemonic ambitions over Our America, rooted in the Monroe Doctrine.”

Cuba also asserted that the objectives included unrestricted access to Venezuela’s natural resources and the intimidation of the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean.

These actions undermine regional peace commitments, recalling that the governments of Latin America and the Caribbean unanimously signed in January 2014 the Proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.

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US forces have taken Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to the United States following an illegal military attack on the Latin American country that had resulted in the abduction of him and his wife.

President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York City on Saturday after the aggression that included strikes on targets in Caracas and other parts of Venezuela.

The couple were captured by US Special Forces and transported by helicopter and motorcade to federal facilities in Manhattan before Maduro was brought to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, according to US officials cited by CNN.

The US Justice Department said the Venezuelan head of state was being forcibly held ahead of proceedings at Manhattan federal court, where he was set to face what it called “drugs and weapons charges” next week.

The White House, meanwhile, released footage showing Maduro handcuffed and escorted by US forces in New York.

President Trump, speaking earlier in Florida, had said the United States would “run” Venezuela until what he described as a “safe, proper, and judicious” transition of power took place. He said senior members of his administration would oversee “governance” during the interim period and added that Washington would take control of Venezuela’s massive oil reserves, the largest in the world.

The attack and Trump’s remarks have drawn sharp condemnation from Caracas. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, speaking in a live public address on Saturday evening, condemned the attack as an “illegal, illegitimate kidnapping” of the country’s president and first lady and demanded their immediate release.

‘Maduro Venezuela’s only president; no empire will rule us’: Caracas vows resistance after US kidnapping https://t.co/DrKq4xhzbJ

— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) January 4, 2026

“Maduro is the only president of Venezuela,” Rodríguez said, describing the US military operation as “barbaric” and denouncing Washington for seeking regime-change in order to seize Venezuela’s energy, mineral, and natural resources. “The masks have fallen,” she said. “They want to enslave us again. We will never be a colony of any empire.”

Rodríguez said the government was prepared to defend the country and its resources, while urging Venezuelans to remain calm. Her remarks came as US officials alleged that Maduro had been “captured” during the operation and flown to New York to face “criminal charges.”

The attack came after months of mounting pressure on Venezuela, marked by an increased American military presence in South America and operations in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean that Washington said were tied to drug trafficking claims, allegations that Maduro had already dismissed as a pretext for targeting the country.

**“Blood for oil”**The attack has triggered several condemnatory official reactions and protests worldwide, including among some US officials themselves.

“This is blood for oil,” US Democratic Representative Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, USA, said of the aggression, adding that the kidnapping had “nothing to do with narco-trafficking.”

“This has always been about the fact that Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves,” he said.

Venezuela’s Revolution Remains Intact—International and Domestic Demonstrations Demand Return of Abducted President

Protests were held in several US cities, including Washington, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where demonstrators condemned the military operation and warned against a war driven by oil interests.

In Caracas, residents reported damage from overnight strikes, with debris and signs of explosions visible in several areas. Many areas have been without electricity for 24 hours or more. Reports indicate that at least 40 civilians were killed in the strikes, although official confirmation of these details is pending.

US Democratic lawmakers have, meanwhile, rapped the Trump administration for launching the operation without congressional authorization and demanded briefings on the scope and legal basis of the action.

(PressTV) with Orinoco Tribune content

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“Invading the country, kidnapping the president and his wife are international crimes. All to seize control of the oil again,” Senator Daniel Nunez denounced on his X account.

The parliamentarian also warned against the threats made by US President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, against Cuba.

Nunez wrote, “The world must speak out and defend the right to self-determination of every people. All my solidarity with Cuba and its revolution.”

Lawmaker and now Senator-elect Karol Cariola warned that the United States’ bombing of Venezuela and the kidnapping of the president and his wife are serious events that violate a country’s sovereignty and international law.

Cariola said, “Trump’s interest is not democracy, it is oil, and he is willing to commit any atrocity to reach it.”

Legislator Luis Cuello warned about the statements made by Chile’s President-elect Jose Antonio Kast, who supported the US military aggression against Venezuela.

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Russia and China call on the United States to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is illegally jailed in New York after being kidnapped during an armed aggression against his country.

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US President Donald Trump’s “insane” Venezuela attack prompts furious Democrats to float retaliation.

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Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday in Havana, the capital of Cuba, to denounce the US military actions against Venezuela and voice support for their Latin American brother in defending its sovereignty.

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The New York City mayor blasts the administration of US President Donald Trump for waging a military aggression against Venezuela, saying the regime change attack constitutes an “act of war” and a breach of international law.

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Protests have erupted across US cities in response to Washington’s military aggression against Venezuela.

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By Taroa Zúñiga Silva and Vijay Prashad – Jan 4, 2025

A little after 2 a.m., Venezuela time, on January 3, 2026, in violation of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, the United States began an attack on several sites in the country, including Caracas, the capital. Residents awoke to loud noises and flashes, as well as large helicopters in the sky. Videos began to appear on social media but without much context. Confusion and rumor flooded social media.

Within an hour, the sky was quiet. US President Donald Trump announced that his forces had conducted attacks on Venezuela and had seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. A short while later, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez confirmed that the whereabouts of Maduro and Flores were unknown. The US Attorney General Pamela Bondi confirmed that Maduro and Flores were in the United States and had been charged with “Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy.”

The outcome of this attack on Venezuela is unclear. The government remains in control, even with the president having been kidnapped and with the people of Venezuela in shock but defiant; it is unclear if the United States will strike again or if the US government has a clear political plan for the aftermath of this strike.

The war against Venezuela
The attack on January 3 is not the first against Venezuela. In fact, the pressure campaign began in 2001 when the government of Hugo Chávez enacted a Hydrocarbons Law in accordance with the sovereignty provisions in the Bolivarian Constitution of 1999. That campaign had the following aspects (this is an illustrative and not a comprehensive list):

• (2001) US funding of anti-Bolivarian social and political groups through the US National Endowment for Democracy and USAID.
• (2002) US role in the attempted coup d’état.
• (2002) Creation by USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives of a Venezuela program.
• (2003-2004) Funding and political direction for the work of Súmate (led by Maria Corina Machado) to recall Chávez by referendum.
• (2004) Development of a 5-Point Strategy to “penetrate” Chávez’s base, “divide” Chavismo, “isolate” Chávez, build up groups such as Súmate, and “protect vital US business interests.”
• (2015) US President Barack Obama signs an executive order that declares Venezuela to be an “extraordinary threat,” which is the legal basis for the sanctions that follows.
• (2017) Venezuela banned from access to US financial markets.
• (2018) International banks and shipping companies pressured to over-comply with illegal US sanctions, while Bank of England seized the Venezuelan Central Bank gold reserves.
• (2019) Create an “interim” government by “appointing” Juan Guaidó as the US authorized president and organize a (failed) uprising, and freeze Venezuela’s ability to sell oil, as well as seize its oil assets overseas.
• (2020) Attempt to kidnap Maduro through Operation Gideon (and by placing a bounty for his capture), while the US put a ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on Venezuela during the pandemic (including International Monetary Fund denial of Venezuela’s own reserves).
• (2025) Gift of the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado with the Nobel Committee saying that Maduro should leave office.
• (2025-2026) The attacks on small boats off the coast of Venezuela, the positioning of an armada to form an embargo of Venezuela, and the seizure of oil tankers from Venezuela.

The attack on 3 January is part of this war that began in 2001 and will continue long after the engines of the Chinook helicopters cool down.

The eagle is angryWhen the United States government decides to act unilaterally, whether against Iraq in 2003 or Venezuela between 2001 and 2026, no other force has been able to stop it currently. In 2003, millions of people—including in the United States—marched on the streets to demand no war, and most governments in the world cautioned against the war, but the governments of George W. Bush and Tony Blair (of the United Kingdom, acting as his no. 2) went ahead with their illegal war. This time, major powers informed the United States that a war in South America and the Caribbean would be immensely destabilizing: this was the view of leaders who govern countries that neighbor Venezuela (Brazil and Colombia) and major powers such as China (whose special envoy—Qiu Xiaoqi—met with Maduro only hours before the US attack). Not only could the world not stop the US in 2003, but it has also been unable to stop the US between 2001 and now in its obsessive war for oil against Venezuela.

The attack on Venezuela was timed so that Trump could stand before the US Houses of Congress on January 4, when he will give his annual address, and claim that he has scored a major victory. This is not a victory. It is just another example of unilateralism that will not improve the situation in the world. The US illegal war on Iraq ended with the US forced to withdraw after a million civilians had been killed in a ruthless decade; the same transpired in Afghanistan and Libya—two countries ruined by the “American Eagle.”

It is impossible to imagine a different future for Venezuela if the United States continues with its bombing and sends ground troops into the country. No good comes from these “regime-change wars,” and none will come here either. There is a reason why Brazil and Colombia are uneasy with this attack, because they know that the only outcome will be long-term destabilization in the entire northern half of South America, if not in the entire region of Latin America. This is precisely what has transpired in the northern half of Africa (Trump’s bombing of Nigeria is part of the detritus of the 2011 NATO bombing of Libya).

Trump will get his standing ovation at the US Congress, but the price for that has already been paid by hundreds of dead civilians in Venezuela and millions more who are struggling to survive the long-term hybrid war imposed by the United States on Venezuela for the past two decades.

(Struggle–La Lucha)

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On Saturday, in keeping with the line of succession specified in Venezuela’s Constitution, the Constitutional Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) directed Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to “assume and exercise as acting president” all the powers, duties, and authorities inherent to the office of president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in order to ensure administrative continuity and the comprehensive defense of the nation.

In reading the Constitutional Chamber’s decision, the president of the chamber, Tania D’Amelio Cardiet, listed the objective and legal arguments that led to the decision following the US military attack that took place on January 3, 2026, which culminated in the abduction of Constitutional President Nicolás Maduro.

D’Amelio stated the following: “the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, in exercising the interpretative power conferred upon it by Article 335 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, considers it necessary to carry out a systematic and teleological interpretation of Articles 234 and 239 of the Constitution” in order to “determine the regulation applicable to guarantee the administrative continuity of the State and the defense of the nation.”

The forced absence of the president of the republic, as a result of his abduction, “constitutes a case of material and temporary impossibility for the exercise of his functions,” noted D’Amelio.

By virtue of this circumstance and in compliance with the power conferred by Article 335 of the Constitution, as the highest and final interpreter of the Constitution, as well as Article 5 of the Organic Law of the Supreme Court of Justice—added D’Amelio—“this chamber bases its jurisdiction and proceeds ex officio to interpret the applicable Constitutional provisions in order to clarify and dispel any legal uncertainty, with the aim of establishing a roadmap for the preservation of Constitutional order at this momentous time for the country.”

Exceptional situation
She specified that the US attack and presidential abduction that occurred on January 3, 2026, “constitutes an exceptional, atypical situation of force majeure not literally provided for in the Constitution,” which creates a situation that requires “Constitutional certainty due to the extreme gravity that threatens the stability of the State, the security of the nation, and the effectiveness of the legal system.”

For this reason, she continued, the Constitional Chamber considered it “indispensable” to issue its decision within the framework of an “urgent and preventive precautionary measure”—a protective measure to ensure “the administrative continuity of the State and the defense of the nation.”

It did so, she clarified, “without this implying a decision on the merits of the definitive legal classification of the temporary or absolute presidential offense nor replacing the powers of other State bodies to make such a classification in subsequent proceedings.”

The document, signed by the president, the vice president, the magistrates, and the secretary of the Constitutional Chamber of the TSJ, indicates that in the “current state of manifest urgency and certain threat,” it is “imperative, necessary, and proportionate to cautiously provide that said function be exercised immediately” in order to facilitate the “preservation of the interests of the nation in the face of the foreign aggression it currently faces.”

A brief biography of Delcy Rodríguez
Delcy Rodríguez joined the Venezuelan government in 2003, during the first presidency of Hugo Chávez. In this administration, she served in the office of the vice presidency, as director of international affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Mines, as vice-minister for European affairs and minister for presidential affairs, and as general coordinator to the vice president who, at that time, was her brother, Jorge Rodríguez.

Delcy and Jorge are the children of Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, a leader of Venezuela’s Revolutionary Left Movement and founder of the Socialist League. In 1976, he was tortured and killed by Venezuela’s former intelligence service, the Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services (DISIP). Due to its links with United States intelligence agencies and because of numerous human rights abuses, DISIP was disbanded by President Chávez in 2009 and replaced by the current intelligence agency of Venezuela, the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN).

More recently, Delcy Rodríguez has served as the president of the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela from 2017 to 2018 and the minister of petroleum from 2024 to 2025. She had served as vice president in the Maduro administration since 2018.

As president of the republic, Rodríguez will thus continue the Constitutional path followed by the Bolivarian Revolution since the election of Chávez in late 1998.

Venezuela’s Revolution Remains Intact—International and Domestic Demonstrations Demand Return of Abducted President

(Telesur)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

SL

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Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Despite the shock caused by the images, videos, and life experiences of millions of Venezuelans in the hours following the abominable US strikes against the country and the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets nationwide to demand the return of their president. Simultaneously, all levels of the state issued pronouncements in support of the Constitutional order and respect for the nation’s institutions.

State institutions reaffirm Constitutional order and loyalty
Governors and mayors from the majority of the country recorded and spread videos online reaffirming their allegiance to President Maduro and Constitutional legality; they were joined in these efforts by the people and leaders of the military, including General Vladimir Padrino López, Strategic Operations Commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB, Venezuela’s military) and Minister of Defence. Meanwhile, the Public Ministry, National Assembly, and Supreme Court of Justice passed resolutions or issued statements in the same vein. These actions demonstrate that the institutional order of Venezuela remains unaffected despite the atrocity committed by US imperialism.

This was early today! chavismo is pretty much alive! Venezuela is not Syria! https://t.co/CqgZR8Izud

— Orinoco Tribune (@OrinocoTribune) January 3, 2026

Physical resistance amid blackouts and holiday shortagesMany areas of Caracas and other regions of the country remain without electricity after 20 hours. The blackout is directly linked to the preceding US military attacks. This did not prevent thousands of Venezuelans from mobilizing; however, many others went to grocery stores to replenish their kitchens with the small amount of fresh products typical of the end-of-year holidays in Venezuela.

International condemnation and global demonstrations
Demonstrations against US imperialism and its unprecedented strikes on Venezuelan soil were reported in several cities around the world. Protesters in Paris were particularly visible at the Place de la République, and additional demonstrations and acts of protest were reported in Havana, Cuba; in Mexico City, Mexico; in an estimated 100 US cities, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington, DC; in major Canadian cities, including Toronto and Montreal; in India, particularly at the All India Conference in Visakhapatnam; and in many European nations, including Greece, Italy, and the Spanish cities of Valencia and Barcelona.

Threats and neo-colonialist rhetoric from Washington
Many analysts highlighted several key elements from the earlier press conference held by US President Donald Trump in Washington, which was characterized by its neofascist and neocolonialist nature:

• Trump threatened more military strikes against Venezuela if he deems them necessary.
• He also threatened Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba as potential future US military targets.
• He dismissed any possibility of far-right Venezuelan politician Maria Corina Machado running Venezuela, claiming—as most analysts do—that she lacks sufficient support within the country.

Constitutional succession and the path forward
The Venezuelan Constitution stipulates that in the absence of the president, the vice president must fill the vacuum. If the absence occurs before the midpoint of the presidential term, as in the current case, the vice president must call for presidential elections within the following 90 days. This scenario opens the possibility of a special presidential election in Venezuela.

Trump Boasts About US Military Intervention in Venezuela: 5 Alarming Statements Reveal Dangerous US Agenda

It remains unclear if Vice President Delcy Rodríguez will follow the Constitutional path of presidential succession or if the PSUV will instead continue to demand the return of President Maduro—a formula that many consider highly improbable—or whether both of these options will be pursued simultaneously.

Many analysts claim that, given the deplorable state of the Venezuelan far-right opposition and the consolidation of forces in support of Chavismo in recent months—especially following the US strikes—the most probable outcome will be a new electoral victory for supporters of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. However, US military threats and electoral meddling could impact the results of these elections. A potential new electoral victory for Chavistas could produce repeated US interventions until a president favored by US imperialism arrives at Miraflores Palace.

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

OT/JRE/SL

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US forces take Venezuela’s president to the US following an illegal military attack on the Latin American country that had resulted in his and his wife’s kidnapping.

From Presstv via This RSS Feed.

Iran’s foreign minister sharply condemns the United States’ military aggression against Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.

From Presstv via This RSS Feed.

During a press conference on Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced that he intends to govern Venezuela and threatened a possible second attack.

This press conference comes after the US conducted military strikes against Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday, January 3. Several hours later, it was confirmed that the US had illegally abducted President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

“We are going to run the country until a proper transition can take place… We’re going to have our very large US oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money,” Trump said.

Trump assured that they are ready to launch a “second and much larger attack if we need to do so… We actually assumed that a second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not… The first attack was so successful, so we probably don’t have to do a second, but we’re prepared to do a second wave—a much bigger wave, actually.”

US Launches Military Strikes Against Venezuela; President Maduro and Cilia Flores Kidnapped

He then reiterated plans to steal Venezuelan oil. This was agreed upon by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who stated that Trump was “deadly serious about getting back the oil that was stolen from us, and deadly serious about re-establishing American deterrence and dominance in the Western Hemisphere.”

Trump also reported that President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores are on a ship en route to New York and will be “prosecuted” in courts in Miami and New York.

He also said he did not know where the far-right Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado was. “I think it’d be very tough for her to be the leader,” he said during the briefing. “She doesn’t have the support or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”

(Últimas Noticias)

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/SF

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In a statement released on his social media accounts, former President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador, condemned the US’ “arrogant attack” on Veneuela and kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro, referencing Simon Bolívar, Abraham Lincoln and Benito Juárez, and offering unconditional support to current President Claudia Sheinbaum.

The former President was noted for staking out assertive, anti-imperialist foreign policy policies during his six year-term, such as not attending the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in 2022 because of the exclusion of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua; offering asylum to President Evo Morales of Bolivia after the 2019 coup; honouring Julian Assange and advocating for his release from prison; breaking relations with Ecuador over its assault on the Mexican embassy; and breaking relations with Peru over its coup of President Pedro Castillo, and offering asylum to persecuted members of Ecaudor’s Movimiento Revolución Ciudadana and El Salvador’s Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional.

President AMLO’s statement

“I am retired from politics, but my libertarian convictions prevent me from staying silent in the face of the arrogant assault on the sovereignty of the people of Venezuela and the kidnapping of their president. Neither Bolívar nor Lincoln would accept the United States government acting as a world tyranny.

President Trump: do not fall into self-complacency or listen to the siren song. Tell the hawks to go to hell; you have the capacity to act with practical judgment. Do not forget that today’s ephemeral victory can be tomorrow’s resounding defeat. Politics is not imposition.

Remember that “respect for the rights of others is peace,” as Benito Juárez taught us in the 19th century. I am Mexican with great pride, but also Latin American. I unconditionally support my president Claudia Sheinbaum.

For now, I am not sending you a hug.

AMLO

• 

  News Briefs

  President AMLO Breaks Silence, Condemns “Arrogant Attack” by US on Venezuela, Kidnapping

  January 3, 2026January 3, 2026

  The popular former President of Mexico has been in retirement from politics, but today advised President Trump to “tell the hawks to go to hell”.

• 

  News Briefs

  Mexican Senate Suspends Meeting That Would Have Authorized Entry of US Military Personnel for Naval Exercises

  January 3, 2026January 3, 2026

  The meeting was cancelled this afternoon, citing new circumstances following US military aggression against Venezuela.

• 

  News Briefs

  President Sheinbaum Reiterates Condemnation of US Attack on Venezuela

  January 3, 2026

  The Mexican President emphasized the importance of Latin America and the Caribbean acting together in defense of sovereignty and international law.

The post President AMLO Breaks Silence, Condemns “Arrogant Attack” by US on Venezuela, Kidnapping appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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US military intervention in Venezuela is being publicly celebrated by Donald Trump and his closest allies as a decisive victory, but their own words expose a dangerous agenda of domination, threats, and control over an entire country. The rhetoric used to describe this operation reveals a project of force, punishment, and geopolitical expansion that violates international law and the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people.

Trump and top US officials presented the military operation against Venezuela as a “lesson for the world” and a step toward “peace through strength”, but the very discourse used to justify it reveals the scope of the aggression, the cynicism of its narrative, and the geopolitical dimension of an operation conceived to forcibly reorder the map of power in Latin America.

From the name of the operation to the references to the Monroe Doctrine, the abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, and the direct control of oil resources, the US statements reveal a criminal logic of illegal force and economic appropriation that collides head‑on with international law and the principle of the sovereignty of peoples.

A shock operation and the narrative of absolute power
In their narrative, the US military intervention in Venezuela is framed through the name of the operation: “Absolute Determination,” presented as a historic milestone similar to the “Midnight Hammer” operation carried out months earlier in Iran. The administration describes it as a lightning incursion of a magnitude that is unprecedented since World War II and executed with such precision that the Venezuelan army allegedly surrendered without US casualties.

This language turns the US military intervention in Venezuela into a spectacle of power, where the tactical blackout and overwhelming technological superiority are highlighted as proof that the US possesses “the most powerful army on the planet.” The message is clear: Washington claims the right not only to attack but to set a global standard for how to remove governments it considers hostile, thereby normalizing preemptive and overwhelming force.

Legal justification and extraterritorial capture of MaduroAccording to Trump and his allies, the US military intervention in Venezuela is legally justified by accusing Nicolás Maduro of narcoterrorism and of leading the so‑called “Cartel of the Suns.” They insist that there is sufficient evidence to ensure his conviction and that he will be taken to Miami or New York to face US justice.

Behind this narrative, the US military intervention in Venezuela masks an extremely serious precedent: the extraterritorial capture of a head of state in his own country and his transfer to courts of the attacking power. Trump presents himself as a leader who “does not play games: he speaks, acts, and delivers”, turning this abduction into a warning to any government that dares to challenge US national security.

Migrants, security and a regional occupation logic
Supporters of the US military intervention in Venezuela also justify it through domestic security arguments. They allege that the Venezuelan government emptied prisons and psychiatric institutions to send criminals and “thugs” from the Tren de Aragua gang toward US borders. In this discourse, migrants are framed as a direct threat, turning the border into an extension of the battlefield.

The US military intervention in Venezuela is thus presented as an internal security measure: by “sealing the border,” the administration claims to have stopped drug trafficking by speedboats and the export of chaos from Venezuela. This is more than a border policy; it is part of a narrative whereby Washington assumes the right to militarily intervene in another country to reorganize its internal US reality and, supposedly, protect US territory.

Transitional administration and an updated Monroe Doctrine
One of the most revealing aspects of the US military intervention in Venezuela is the open admission that the United States will take temporary control of Venezuela’s government. Trump and his allies state that Washington will manage the country’s economy and reconstruction until a “proper transition” is achieved, explicitly evoking and “surpassing” the principles of the Monroe Doctrine with the slogan “America [sic] for the Americans [sic].”

In practice, the US military intervention in Venezuela is transformed into a trusteeship project where the occupying power decides who governs, how long the intervention lasts, and under what economic and political conditions. Although they say they do not wish to keep permanent troops on the ground, they stress that they will not hesitate to deploy forces whenever they deem it necessary to “protect the people” and “guarantee regional stability,” leaving the duration of the intervention entirely in US hands.

Oil, reconstruction, and control of strategic resources
The US military intervention in Venezuela is also clearly linked to control over the country’s vast energy resources. The administration describes Venezuela’s oil infrastructure as “failed and ruined” due to years of “abandonment and corruption” and promises that US oil companies —“the best in the world,” according to the US— will invest to recover resources that were “stolen.”

In this framework, the US military intervention in Venezuela is presented as a plan to “clean up the economy,” “recover debts owed to our nation,” and create wealth “for the Venezuelan people and the American [sic] people.” This makes the reconstruction sound less like humanitarian support and more like a geopolitical business project in which Washington decides how to exploit strategic resources and which local actors are acceptable partners.

Strategic message to China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba
The discourse surrounding the US military intervention in Venezuela also sends a message to other global powers. Officials warn that from now on, any country that wants Venezuelan oil will have to negotiate directly with the United States. This places the intervention in a broader context of confrontation with China, Russia, and Iran, which have invested heavily and maintained political alliances with Caracas.

At the same time, the US is issuing a direct warning to Cuba, suggesting that its system is in decline and that it should “watch its back.” The US military intervention in Venezuela thus becomes a regional and global signal: an example of how Washington is willing to impose a new order in the Western Hemisphere, using overwhelming force, territorial control, and management of resources as tools of pressure and realignment.

US Launches Military Strikes Against Venezuela; President Maduro and Cilia Flores Kidnapped

“Peace through strength” and the paradox of imposed peace
Trump concluded by framing the US military intervention in Venezuela as part of a doctrine of “peace through strength,” citing his intention to end the “bloodbath” in Ukraine as another example of his capacity to close conflicts. However, the underlying message is that peace is achieved not through negotiation and international law but through decisive and forceful actions such as the early-morning operation that toppled the Venezuelan government.

Within this doctrine, the US military intervention in Venezuela is portrayed as a necessary shock to prevent future wars, when in reality, it sets a dangerous precedent of unilateral action, regime change, and control over a country’s natural resources. The rhetoric of strength is used to justify a project that many international actors see as a threat to global stability and to the basic principle of sovereignty.

(Telesur English)

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