Venezuela's defense minister revealed that President Maduro's security team was massacred in large numbers and condemned the United States as the world's true threat.
On Sunday, 4 Jan 2026 GMT+7, Vladimir Padrino Lopez, Venezuela's Minister of Defense, disclosed that the majority of President Nicolás Maduro’s security team were killed during a U.S. raid in the early hours of Saturday (local time).
Padrino Lopez claimed the raid resulted in the cold-blooded killing of many security personnel, soldiers, and innocent civilians, though he did not provide exact numbers. However, The New York Times reported the U.S. attack hit an apartment building with at least 40 fatalities, without clarifying whether the victims were military or civilians.
The Venezuelan defense minister also warned that President Donald Trump’s decision to detain President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, constitutes a threat to geopolitical stability.
“This is a real threat to the world order,” Padrino Lopez said at a press conference. “If it happens to Venezuela today, tomorrow it could happen to any state or country.”
Additionally, Padrino Lopez criticized the Trump administration's overall foreign policy, stating, “We reject the colonialist mindset they seek to impose over Latin America and the Caribbean under the Monroe Doctrine principle.”
Padrino Lopez also confirmed that the military supports Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as the acting national leader.
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