Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Jan 4: US President Donald Trump on Saturday issued a sharp warning to Colombian President Gustavo Petro, telling him to “watch his a**” following a dramatic US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, further escalating tensions across Latin America.
Speaking at a press conference hours after the operation, Trump accused Petro of being linked to cocaine production and trafficking into the United States. “He’s making cocaine and they’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his ass,” Trump said, referring to the Colombian leader, with whom he has repeatedly clashed in recent months.
Early on Saturday, the United States launched coordinated military strikes across Venezuela and captured Maduro, later flying him out of the country. Trump announced that Washington would temporarily take control of Venezuela until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” of power could be completed.
Colombian President Petro swiftly condemned the US action, calling it an “assault on the sovereignty” of Latin America that could spark a humanitarian crisis. In a post on X, Petro said his government convened an emergency national security meeting before dawn and deployed additional security forces along the Colombia–Venezuela border, warning of a possible “massive influx of refugees” fleeing the unrest.
Petro also said Colombia would seek international intervention and urged the United Nations Security Council to address what he described as aggression against Venezuela and the wider region. According to diplomatic sources, an emergency meeting of the Security Council has been scheduled for Monday at 10 am local time, following a request by Venezuela that was relayed by Colombia.
The US operation drew strong reactions from Maduro’s allies, including Russia, whose foreign ministry denounced the action as an “act of armed aggression” and warned against further escalation. The Venezuelan government reported US strikes in several areas, including Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira. Unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show explosions in Caracas and near Higuerote Airport, about 87 km east of the capital.
Trump said US special forces disabled electricity in parts of Caracas before capturing Maduro and his wife from or near one of his safe houses. Washington justified the operation by citing federal indictments filed in New York, which accuse Maduro of leading a “narco-terrorism” network that allegedly funnelled large quantities of cocaine and fentanyl into the United States. Venezuela has strongly denied the charges, calling them fabricated and accusing the US of using them as a pretext to seize control of the country’s oil and mineral wealth.
Trump also broadened his criticism to other countries in the region. According to Axios, he described Cuba as “a failing country right now” and claimed that drug cartels were effectively running Mexico. Reiterating his accusations against Colombia, Trump alleged that the country hosts major cocaine production facilities and again accused Petro of being directly involved, remarks that are likely to further strain already tense diplomatic ties.