Venezuela’s Defense Minister RESPONDS To ‘Most Criminal Military Aggression’ By United States

Venezuela’s Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, has responded to what he calls the “most criminal military aggression by the United States,” following the well-coordinated capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, early this morning (Saturday 3rd January, 2026). 

In a statement, Minister López, 62, who is a 4-star General, said, “The Venezuelan people have been victims of the most criminal military aggression by the United States...The barbarity of the invading forces has desecrated our sacred soil at Fort Tina, in the states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira, even striking civilian urban areas with missiles and rockets fired from combat helicopters. We are currently gathering information on the injured and the dead...We fully support the decree declaring a state of external emergency across the entire national territory, and as a result, the men and women of the armed forces are carrying out the instructions of President Nicolas Maduro, deploying all our capabilities. We will win. Long live the homeland.”

Maduro and his wife have been extracted from Venezuela and are currently en route to the U.S. to face multiple charges.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Press Conference this afternoon (Saturday 3rd January, 2026) that the U.S. will take control and run Venezuela until a legitimate Government is established in the country.

More on this as it becomes available.

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