UPDATE 2 - Venezuela requests urgent UN Security Council meeting following US attacks

ADDS COLOMBIA'S STATEMENTS

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Venezuela on Saturday requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting following US attacks on the country, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil announced.

"In response to the criminal aggression perpetrated by the US government against our nation, we have requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council, the body responsible for upholding international law," Gil said on Telegram.

"No cowardly attack will prevail against the strength of this people, who will emerge victorious," he added.

Earlier, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the UN Security Council must be convened "immediately to establish the international legality of the aggression against Venezuela."

Gil said that following a phone conversation with Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio Bogota requested an emergency meeting.

It was not immediately clear whether Colombia requested the meeting separately or supported the proposal by Caracas.

US President Donald Trump confirmed the "large scale" strike on his social media platform Truth Social, claiming Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and flown out of the country.

Earlier, Venezuela said the US attacked its civilian and military installations in multiple states, and declared a national emergency.

The attacks came after months of tension as the US accused Maduro of being involved in drug trafficking. The Venezuelan had denied the claims and expressed readiness for talks.

- Caracas calls attacks 'colonial war' to 'plunder' resources in UN letter

In a letter to the UN Security Council, Venezuela accused the US of waging a "colonial war" aimed at destroying its government and plundering natural resources.

Venezuela's Permanent Representative to UN Samuel Moncada wrote to Somali Permanent Representative Abukar Dahir Osman, the Security Council president for January.

Moncada said the action violates the UN Charter "flagrantly."

He said Venezuela has never broken its tradition of international peace, while the US "reaffirms its status as the greatest international aggressor in our region over the last two centuries."

The Venezuelan envoy claimed the US assault is a "colonial war" designed to destroy the Maduro government and impose a "puppet" regime that would enable "plundering" of natural resources, including the world's largest oil reserves.

He accused the US of using lies to fabricate wars, calling it "an international tyranny imposed through the propaganda of death."

Moncada requested a meeting to discuss the "aggression," demanded condemnation of US actions, called for cessation of armed attacks, and sought measures to hold Washington accountable for "crimes of aggression."