Cuba and Colombia respond to US strikes on Venezuela

Caracas has accused Washington of attempting to seize the country’s strategic resources and topple the government

Cuba and Colombia have expressed strong concern over an apparent US attack on Venezuela after several explosions were heard in the country’s capital.

The statements came on Saturday morning after several blasts in Caracas, with reports of warplanes, helicopters, and potentially drones operating over the capital. Venezuela’s government said it was the victim of a “grave military aggression” by the US, accusing Washington of striking civilian and military locations in Caracas and the nearby states of Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira.

US President Donald Trump later confirmed that the US had carried out the attack, stating that Washington had captured and flown Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife out of the country.

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Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that his nation “denounces and urgently demands the reaction of the international community against the criminal attack by the US on Venezuela.” He added that “our zone of peace is being brutally assaulted. State terrorism against the brave Venezuelan people and against Our America.”

Colombian President Gustavo Petro adopted a more cautious tone, saying his government was observing “with deep concern the reports of explosions and unusual aerial activity recorded in recent hours in… Venezuela, as well as the consequent escalation of tension in the region.”

“The Colombian Government rejects any unilateral military action that could aggravate the situation or put the civilian population at risk,” he added.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales said that he “strongly and unequivocally repudiates the bombing of the United States against Venezuela.”   “It is a brutal imperialist aggression that violates its sovereignty. All our solidarity with the Venezuelan people in resistance. Venezuela is not alone,” the ex-president stated.

The events come amid high tensions between Washington and Caracas. US President Donald Trump has accused Venezuela’s government of involvement in large-scale drug trafficking, while Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has rejected the allegations as a pretext for foreign aggression and toppling his government.