The Chavista leader Diosdado Cabello reappeared early Saturday morning in a broadcast on Venezuelan state television, surrounded by police and military forces, to denounce what he called a “cowardly attack” by the United States against Venezuela and to urge the population to remain calm amid uncertainty about the whereabouts of the leader Nicolás Maduro.
“This is an attack against Venezuela, against the Bolivarian Republic, even against those who have nothing to do with the Bolivarian Revolution,” declared Cabello, dressed in a bulletproof vest and flanked by armed officials.
"The military forces, the police forces, and our people are ready for any situation, deployed to ensure the peace and tranquility of our country," he added.
Cabello called for confidence in the "high political and military command" and warned that it is not the time to fall into despair. "From here, I urge our people to remain calm. Let no one make things easier for the invading enemy, the terrorist enemy that cowardly attacked us," expressed the number two of chavismo in a defiant tone.
The first vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) also stated that the country is facing a new imperialist aggression, but emphasized that chavismo will endure as it has in the past. “This is not the first battle that our people have had to fight against those who believe they can defeat us,” he underscored.
Cabello's statements came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Nicolás Maduro had been captured by the elite Delta Force unit and taken out of Venezuela in an unprecedented military operation.
The state channel VTV broadcasted Cabello's remarks under the headline “The country demands from the U.S. proof of life for President Maduro,” a demand also verbally expressed by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
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