Xinhua Headlines: U.S. launches strikes on Venezuela, drawing widespread condemnation

* The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country.

* The U.S. military action against the South American nation has drawn widespread international condemnation, with multiple countries calling for a coordinated global response.

CARACAS/WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. military launched a series of attacks against Venezuela early Saturday morning, reportedly capturing President Nicolas Maduro and flying him out of the country.

Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, speaking on a state-run television station, said the whereabouts of Maduro and his wife are unknown, asking for proof they are alive.

The U.S. military action against the South American nation has drawn widespread international condemnation, with multiple countries calling for a coordinated global response.

WHAT HAPPENED?

A Xinhua correspondent based in Caracas reported early Saturday morning that low-flying aircraft were spotted, and clouds of smoke were seen following loud explosion sounds in the Venezuelan capital.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed smoke rising from multiple locations in the capital, with residents seen fleeing in the streets.

Reports said brief power outages occurred in some areas, including a military base in Caracas.

According to media reports, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had banned U.S. commercial flights from Venezuelan airspace due to "ongoing military activity" shortly before the explosions were reported.

Hours after the incident, CBS White House correspondent Jennifer Jacobs said that U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered the strikes, citing U.S. officials. FOX News also reported that U.S. officials had confirmed the military action.

Following the attacks, Venezuela condemned the incident as "military aggression" by the United States. The Venezuelan government said that the military strike targeted civilian and military sites in at least four states of the country, including Caracas, as well as the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira, adding that the U.S. action blatantly violated the United Nations Charter.

Later in the day, Trump in a Truth Social post that Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of Venezuela.

"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 in the post.

For months, the United States has maintained a significant military presence in the Caribbean, much of it off Venezuela's coast, purportedly to combat drug trafficking -- a claim Venezuela has denounced as an attempt to bring about regime change in Caracas.

WIDESPREAD CONDEMNATION

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Saturday called for an urgent meeting of the Organization of American States and the United Nations on the attack in Venezuela. "Caracas is currently being bombed ... Venezuela has been attacked," he wrote on social media platform X.

On the same day, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel condemned what he described as the "criminal U.S. attack" against Venezuela, demanding an urgent response from the international community.

In a social media post, the president said that the Latin American region was being brutally assaulted, and "this is state terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America."

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the United States committed "an act of armed aggression" against Venezuela, which causes deep concern and condemnation.

Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia's Federation Council, said the U.S. military operation against Venezuela has no legitimate basis as the South American country has posed no threat to the United States.

Kosachev stressed that the international order should be based on international law rather than on so-called rules imposed by individual countries. He said international law has clearly been violated, adding that "an order established in this manner must not prevail."

Kosachev also said he believed that most countries would firmly distance themselves from the attack on Venezuela and condemn it.

Also on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the U.S. military attack against Venezuela as a "flagrant violation" of the Latin American state's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It said the U.S. military attack against Venezuela was an "act of aggression and in clear violation" of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter and international law, which bans the use of force against sovereign states.

It called on the United Nations as well as all governments caring about the rule of law and international peace and security to immediately and explicitly condemn the U.S. attack.

The Spanish Foreign Ministry on Saturday also said that Spain calls for a deescalation as well as moderation and respect for international law in Venezuela.■