Venezuela’s Armed Forces Affirm Loyalty to Acting President Rodríguez After US Seizure of Maduro

By Al Ahed Staff, Agencies

Venezuela’s military leadership has formally declared its support for acting president Delcy Rodríguez following what authorities describe as the unlawful seizure of President Nicolás Maduro by US forces.

The announcement was made Sunday by Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, who confirmed that the armed forces recognize Rodríguez as the country’s legitimate interim leader in line with a ruling by the Supreme Court.

Speaking on national television, Padrino said the decision was taken to preserve constitutional order and national sovereignty after the US-led assault on Caracas, an operation widely condemned in Venezuela as an act of state-sponsored aggression. The Supreme Court appointed Rodríguez to a 90-day interim term to guarantee administrative continuity in the wake of the attack.

Padrino denounced the operation as a kidnapping and said it resulted in the loss of lives among presidential security personnel, members of the armed forces, and civilians. He urged the Venezuelan people to remain calm, continue daily economic and educational activities, and resist what he described as Washington’s attempt to spread instability. “The homeland must follow its constitutional course,” he declared.

Although authorities have not yet released a final casualty count, they confirmed that the US strikes directly targeted central areas of Caracas, an act Venezuela says violated international law. The assault reportedly involved more than 150 US aircraft.

Soon after Rodríguez’s appointment was announced, US President Donald Trump moved from diplomatic language to open threats, warning that Rodríguez would pay a “very big price” if she did not comply with US demands. This came despite earlier statements from Washington suggesting Rodríguez was someone the US could work with.

Venezuelan officials reject US claims that the abduction of Maduro was linked to narcotrafficking allegations raised in a New York court, arguing instead that Washington’s real objective is control over Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. In Caracas, the attack is widely seen as the most extreme escalation in a decade-long US campaign to dismantle the Bolivarian Revolution.

In a televised address late Saturday, Rodríguez demanded the immediate release of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were reportedly transferred to a US detention facility in New York. She reaffirmed that Maduro remains Venezuela’s legitimate president and condemned the operation as a grave act of foreign aggression.

Rodríguez also stated that the attack carried a “Zionist tint,” pointing to the strategic involvement or influence of “Israeli” interests alongside the United States. She said governments around the world were shocked that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela had become the target of such an assault, stressing that history and justice would ultimately hold those responsible accountable.